yes, phoebe, there is a utopia
by shel
Summary: au: fulfilling the avatars' plan of a demonfree future requires help, understanding, and soulsearching...
1. chapter 1

**CHARMED**

**"Yes, Phoebe, there is a Utopia"**

by shel

© december 2004

_disclaimer: the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…_

_rating: pg-13_

_summary: fulfilling the avatars plan of a demon-free future requires help, understanding, and soul-searching…_

_timeline: immediately following the end of season 7's, 'witchness protection'…_

_archive: please don't without expressed permission…_

_notes: there is reference to events from season 7's 'a call to arms,' 'someone to witch over me,' 'charrrmed,' 'there's something about leo,' season 6's 'valhalley of the dolls,' and season 5's 'centennial charmed'…please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…_

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**Chapter One**

Before the trio of Avatars could begin, Piper suddenly demanded, "Why'd you torture Leo?"

"Piper!"

"No, Leo," she glared at him, "I want to know. For months you thought you were hearing voices, voices that made you do things, and suddenly we're supposed to believe these voices were good?"

"I saw a vision," Phoebe added. "One that showed a future of peace. A future Leo says you are trying to make happen. How do we know it's true? Why should we believe you?"

"Because you saw the vision," the female Avatar responded. "That can be your future. That will be your future."

"If you help us," the younger male Avatar clarified.

"That doesn't answer their questions," the lead Avatar told his companions before either sister could speak. He turned to the sisters and nodded, "Given our introduction to Leo, I understand your reluctance to completely embrace our vision. In fact, I welcome your skepticism."

"You haven't answered our questions either," Piper pointedly mentioned.

He smiled back at her before he somberly replied, "It was a miscalculation to approach Leo in the manner we did. We should have anticipated his reaction but we needed to grab his attention."

"He needed to view the world of good and evil from a different perspective," the female Avatar said.

"Do you know what you caused him to do?" Piper angrily questioned.

"I wasn't thinking clearly," Leo told her, "because of what happened with Gideon."

"No!" she argued. "Because of them!"

"Unfortunate circumstance," the leader commented. "Nevertheless, Piper, it was for the best. You see, Avatars exist outside of time and space and we can see the future, many possible futures. And that Elder, the one Leo --"

"Don't say it," Piper warned, in case the Elders were listening.

He nodded in understanding and continued, "That Elder was fated to die a horrible death in each and every one of them. Leo actually spared him a tortured death at the hands of the new Source." Both sisters gasped and he confirmed their horror, "A new Source, more powerful than you can imagine, has risen and will embark on a new dynasty of death and destruction."

"That's impossible," Phoebe uttered as she recovered from the shock. "We'd've known. The Seer would've warned us."

"Unless she didn't know," Piper feared.

"Unless there hasn't been a coronation yet," Phoebe mused. "That's the final step in becoming Source. We might still have a chance to stop it."

"How, when we don't even know where to fi--" Piper began.

"This is why we need your help," the female urged. "Time is running out for all unless you can help us bring about the change."

"At least set things in motion," the younger male encouraged.

Phoebe eyed the trio suspiciously, "I still don't understand. If you know all possible futures and --"

"We never said all possible futures," he quickly corrected.

The lead Avatar nodded, "The future's in a state of constant fluctuation. Each choice made can unleash numerous possible consequences until the next choice made sets off a new chain reaction. Sometimes, how you get there is more important. But, sometimes, reaching the end goal outweighs any other concerns."

"Like now?" Piper asked. "This future Phoebe saw? It's that important that we ignore all else and join you?"

"If you can boost Leo's powers as an Elder the way you did, why do you even need us?" Phoebe wondered. "Why not take on the Source yourselves?"

"The same reason we did not take on the Source before," the younger Avatar offered. "We cannot directly interfere with the balance between good and evil."

"Didn't you do that by making Leo one of you?" Piper accused.

"We did not take away Leo's free will," the leader explained. "He was given a choice to join us. He could have turned down our offer."

At the expense of Piper's and Phoebe's lives, Leo thought. But he wasn't about to tell Piper about that yet. Regardless, he did feel he'd made the right choice. "Don't you see," he sighed, "we'll never have a normal life, never have peace, because the demons will always attack. Aren't you both tired of the sacrifices? Aren't you both tired of feeling that you're not making any difference because evil still manages to spoil even the smallest of victories?"

Piper stared at her husband in surprise, "You've never talked like this before. You're the one who's always so sure we're on the right path, that we are making a difference."

"What happened, Leo?" Phoebe quietly wondered.

"My sons happened!" he snapped. He placed his hands on Piper's shoulders and tried to keep the frustration from his tone, "All we wanted was to make the world a better, safer, place for our children and what happened? Chris came back to change history because all we succeeded in was allowing the world to be ruled by evil."

"That isn't true," Piper countered in a hushed tone. She didn't like thinking of future-Chris because it only reminded her how close she came to losing both him and Wyatt.

"What if it is?" Phoebe asked her sister to consider. "What if, just like the demons, we're caught in this never-ending loop? The demons come after us, we go after the demons. When will it end? Is our true destiny meant to be that we spend the rest of our lives finding only brief moments of peace?"

"You can have more than a brief moment," the female Avatar promised. "You can have utopia."

"Like in my vision?" Phoebe questioned. The Avatar nodded but Phoebe still couldn't allow herself to believe, "How do we know this isn't all part of your plan? Your real plan?"

"What real plan?" the younger male Avatar exclaimed. "We're only trying to save you, save everyone, and bring about peace."

The leader smiled at Phoebe, "You wonder whether we arranged for you to protect the Seer whose betrayal would bring about the return of the demon, Zankou."

"It was you," Piper exclaimed. "Leo didn't leave the photo shoot because the Elders called. He left because you called and told him we had to protect the Seer."

Phoebe kept her eyes on Leo and, even without her empathic powers, realized his lack of denial meant Piper hit on the truth, which meant it could still be a set-up with Leo as an innocent pawn. "Is Zankou the demon who killed the Seer? Is he the new Source?" At the leader's nod, she made a mental note of the demon's name in order to look it up in the Book later. "It was a bit convenient," she commented. "You would have known the Seer would show me a vision of the future. How do I know you didn't plant that vision in her mind in order to distract us?"

"How do we know you didn't want the new Source to come to power to destroy us?" Piper added.

"Why didn't Zankou stick around to attack you?" Leo countered. "If he's the Source, he had a golden opportunity to break the Charmed Ones for good."

"Because maybe we won't matter in the scheme of things," Phoebe guessed, "if he's got the Avatars on his side. We'd never hold our own against them."

"We're not evil," the male Avatar growled. "We're above all that."

"We don't know that," Phoebe hissed. "You caused Leo to see things. Even Piper and I saw you or your heads or whatever that was. You seem to be good at manipulation. All this could be just another act to get us to drop our defenses."

"Why Leo?" Piper suddenly asked. "Why him? Why not go to another Elder or witch or anyone else?"

The leader looked at Phoebe when he answered, "Leo was not our first choice. But, after some time, we realized he was available to us because Leo was now ready to believe."

"Believe in you?" Piper softly asked, casting a side-long glance to her husband.

"Believe in Utopia," the Avatar corrected. "We had needed time before we could approach Leo, or anyone else. We are not as powerful as you might believe. We can be weakened and we can be killed."

"There's a vanquish," Piper taunted, ignoring Phoebe's confusion. She hadn't had a chance to tell her sister about Paige's revelation. "What's to stop us from using it on you?"

"Nothing," the female Avatar acknowledged. "If you've discovered the potion, you have the power to cripple us."

"And then you'll set back our cause for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years," the young male fumed. "The peaceful fate of your world would be lost because of your refusal to believe in hope."

"They're not refusing," Leo defended, "because otherwise you'd have already been vanquished. You wanted them to listen. That's what they're doing."

"They will have the same choice you did, Leo," the leader assured him. "We are not here to threaten your family, or the Charmed Ones."

"We haven't decided that yet," Piper warned.

In order to calm his wife, Leo hoped to switch focus as he quietly admitted, "I've changed in the past few years. I think it started around the time I became an Elder, when Chris exiled me to Valhalla."

"We've been through so much and I know you were disillusioned," Piper conceded, lightly touching his arm, "but you worked through it and found your path again. You even found your way back to your family."

"Still," he confessed, "maybe that path was only temporary. I reached a breaking point, Piper. How many times has Wyatt been a target simply because of magic? Look at all that Gideon did in what he considered was the greater good. All I wanted for ourselves and our children was a world of peace but it seems no matter how many demons we take out, they just keep coming and coming."

"Sometimes it seems like a hopeless dream," Piper nodded before squeezing his hand, "but then you remember what we're fighting for. It isn't hopeless, Leo."

Proud of her for her faith when he'd been unsure, he hugged her, "I have a chance to make that dream a reality. A real chance to create a world we can be proud of. Think about it, Piper, a world we can create that will be everything we've ever dreamed of."

Leo's words suddenly clicked some sort of awareness within Phoebe. _To create a world_. Her eyes widened and she gasped, "You went to him first!"

The lead Avatar realized she'd made the connection and nodded, "He was the perfect choice. Powerful enough before the addition of our powers while also posessing the rare quality of truly understanding both good and evil."

"Then why'd you let him die?" she spat. "You knew he'd fail."

Unwilling to become involved in her unresolved feelings, he simply replied,"He was made aware of the consequences. He had free choice, something we do not take away from anyone we approach. He could join us or refuse our offer again."

"Again?" she questioned in surprise. How many times had they approached Cole? And when?

"It wasn't until he had nothing else left to lose," the leader honestly told her, "that he accepted our offer. Of course, we both knew he only accepted for one reason, and one reason only."

"What?" she whispered in fear of the answer.

"The same reason Leo accepted our offer," he replied. "Love."

Unwilling, unable, to hear anymore, Phoebe stuttered, "I have to get out of here." Pushing past her confused older sister, she ran from the room and flew down the stairs unsure where she was heading. She only knew she had to get out of the house.

After she threw open the front door and ran down to her car, she collided with Paige whose overnight bag was knocked to the ground.

Seeing the tears in her sister's eyes, Paige put aside her own frustrations and asked in concern, "Phoebe? What's wrong?"

Phoebe yanked open the door to her car and practically shouted, "At least I'd been in love with Cole for almost two years. What's your excuse?" She slammed the door as soon as she was in the driver's seat and peeled out of the driveway without even pausing to put on her seatbelt.

"Paige?"

Paige turned to find her older sister standing with Leo on the lawn. "What just happened?"

"I think you got a dose of your own medicine," Piper quietly said before asking, "Can you come inside? We have some things to tell you."

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	2. chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Ever since she'd put the boys to bed, Piper had been sitting on the floor in front of the fire waiting for her sister's return. "It's late," she quietly commented when Phoebe crept past the living room. "Where've you been?"

"The office." Phoebe hesitated to enter the room. Piper was sure to lecture her for running out the way she did and for not checking in. "Guess I got caught up in answering the stacks of mail, didn't notice how long I'd been there. Sorry…"

Recognizing her younger sister's guilty expression at having been inconsiderate, Piper didn't feel the need to comment further. "At least," she sighed, "you didn't go to the mausoleum."

"I went there first," Phoebe admitted. But, when she saw her sister's reaction, she frowned, "I wasn't even there half an hour. What's the big deal?"

Piper shook her head and stared into the fire, "You can't keep doing that, Pheebs. Leave it in the past."

Phoebe's hands went to her hips but she tried to keep her tone from being too sharp, "I needed a place to think."

"You needed a place to feel safe," Piper countered. "There's a difference. A big difference."

"I needed a private place to think about what the Avatars said," Phoebe maintained, glaring at her sister, "and the cemetery seemed the best place to do that."

Piper's eyes narrowed, "That's it?"

Phoebe's annoyance was growing, "That's it. What'd you think, that I'd somehow conjure up Cole and ask him about the Avatars?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Piper retorted as she got to her feet.

"Then what's wrong with you?" Phoebe demanded.

"What's wrong with me," Piper calmly stated, "is that I've got two sisters at each other's throats while we're facing the threat of a new Source, not to mention this mess with the Avatars."

"I am not at Paige's throat," Phoebe sniffed indignantly. "Just because the girl's lost all sense of reason…"

"Phoebe…"

"What?" Phoebe snapped. "Fine. I'll go up to her room and apologize and -- What?"

"She isn't there," Piper told her. "She's at Kyle's."

"Great," Phoebe muttered, "just great."

"I filled her in on our visit with the Avatars," Piper explained, "and not only was she fuming that we dared talk to them without the safety of the Power of Three, she also felt betrayed by Leo for having pretended to care."

"Leo didn't pretend," Phoebe defended. "He was, he was…trapped by his own secret. It's not like he deliberately wanted to keep the truth from us. He had no choice until we were ready."

"I know that," Piper nodded sadly, "and you know that, and we may even understand it to a certain degree. But Paige can't, not after all the time she's spent with Kyle learning about the evil Avatars."

"Whether they're truly evil or not, I don't trust him," Phoebe said. "I've tried, Piper, for Paige's sake, I've tried. But even Darryl, who hasn't been our best friend of late, even Darryl's suspicious of Agent Brody."

"I know," Piper sighed. "That's what makes this so hard…and so familiar."

Phoebe saw the look in her sister's eyes. "Don't start…"

"You're pushing her away," Piper said as she gently tugged her sister closer to the couch and both sat down. "I know you don't mean to but that's what's happening. And what you said to her outside…"

"Was true," Phoebe quietly insisted. "I was in love with Cole. I knew who he was."

"You didn't know he was the Source," Piper disagreed.

Phoebe was quiet a moment while she debated telling Piper her old conflicting ideas as to whether or not she really had known, deep down, the truth about Cole. She shook her head to herself, knowing it wasn't the time, and cleared her throat, "The point is, I'd been with Cole for nearly two years and I knew the truth about his heritage. I'd accepted it and so had you. I wasn't moving out to spite my sisters for not believing in him. I was moving out because I loved him and wanted to start a life of my own with him."

"Number one," Piper said, "Paige isn't moving out. And number two, you should be a little more understanding of her point of view, all things considered."

"I am not the bad guy here…"

"No one's said you are. But she does think you're jealous, that just because you can't ever get your act together doesn't mean you should deprive everyone else of being happy," Piper warily informed her sister. From the stunned look on Phoebe's face, she realized Paige was wrong, at least about that. "She was hurt and confused…I'm sorry."

"Is that what you think too?" Phoebe questioned in a hoarse voice.

"Of course not," Piper quickly told her. "I know you, Phoebe, I know how hard it was for you to let love into your heart in the first place and I know how hard it's been for you in the past couple of years." She fingered a strand of her sister's darkhair and touched Phoebe's cheek, "You're so much like Prue, so afraid of being hurt, that you --"

Phoebe flinched, "This isn't about Prue. And as hard as it may be for you to believe, I know it's not about me. This's about Paige and the fact that she barely knows a thing about Agent Kyle Brody and yet she's practically moved in with him now." Piper was about to interrupt but Phoebe cut her off, "You said she refused to leave his side when you and Leo confronted her about Inspector Sheridan and I saw the bag she was carrying tonight. She's bringing some essentials into his place and that, to me, is practically moving in. All this after finding out that he deliberately drugged and practically kidnapped Inspector Sheridan and she's still perfectly fine with it. And so are you, it seems…"

"How can you say that?" Piper exclaimed when Phoebe suddenly stood and turned from her.

"Because it seems I'm the only one who's been trying to warn Paige," Phoebe replied. "She's not angry with you, is she? Or accusing you of being jealous?" She shook her head, "I thought Paige was above that pettiness."

"What pettiness?" Piper frowned.

Phoebe faced her sister, "If Paige wants to deliberately ignore my warnings and make the same mistake I did, then, fine, let her." She strode towards the stairs, "I give up."

Piper hurried after her sister. "Phoebe…" But Phoebe ignored her and continued up the stairs to the bedrooms. "Phoebe, we have to talk."

"It's late and I'm going to bed," Phoebe dismissed Piper and shut her bedroom door behind her.

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"I'm sorry," Phoebe humbly apologized when she entered the kitchen and found Piper cooking breakfast for an army. She'd heard Piper earlier but hadn't been ready to face her older sister. So she'd let Piper cook out any lingering hurt feelings and now she spotted three different kinds of muffins and two styles of eggs already on the table. There was also the basket of bagels and a plate of French toast. She ruffled Wyatt's hair and approached her sister, "I'm sorry. I was still upset about the Avatars and Cole when you let me have it about Paige. I shouldn't've taken it out on you and I shouldn't've accused you of anything."

"No, you shouldn't've," Piper quietly agreed. Phoebe turned to go and she called out, "But I understand why you did." Phoebe turned around and she offered, "Can you stay for breakfast so we can talk?"

Phoebe nodded and took a seat at the table. She reached for a blueberry muffin, "Where's Leo?"

"He'll be here soon. I asked him to do some research," Piper replied as she carried a plate of waffles to the table. She placed one in front of Wyatt, adjusted the strap of his booster seat, and smiled when he began to tear the waffle to pieces. "I asked Leo to look into Kyle's story about the Avatars killing his parents." She saw the excited look in Phoebe's eyes and cautioned, "I'm not saying I think Kyle's lying. But maybe it's time we had an objective view of what happened."

"If Leo comes back and says Kyle's been telling the truth, fine," Phoebe decided. "It won't justify what he's done but at least we'd know he's not a threat."

"Of course he is," Piper suddenly sniffled, annoyed that she couldn't keep it together at least for breakfast.

Surprised by her sister's tears, Phoebe pulled Piper into a hug. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Kyle's the one with the Avatar vanquish," Piper cried. "Paige told me about it."

"The one you threatened them with last night?" Now she understood her sister's emotional state. She pulled back and brushed away Piper's tears, "He'd never do anything to Leo."

"Wouldn't he?" Piper argued. "You didn't see how outraged Paige was. I'm surprised he wasn't here last night beating down the door."

Phoebe shook her head, "Paige wouldn't tell him about Leo being one of them. That's too personal." Piper gave her a skeptical look. "Piper, listen to me. Paige loves Leo. That's why she was so hurt. But she would never do anything that could hurt him."

"Things were finally looking up for me and Leo," Piper sniffled again. "Why is it we can never be happy for more than five minutes? Why's the rug always pulled out from under us? When do we get to be happy?"

Phoebe shook her head and held her sister's hand, bringing it to her lips for a kiss, "I don't know, sweetie, and if I did, you'd probably be lecturing me about the evils of personal gain." Piper sputtered out a chuckle and Phoebe smiled, "I love you and we'll find a way to work through this."

"I haven't made up my mind about the Avatars yet," Piper warned as she wiped her eyes. "I believe them about the new Source but I'm not sure it wasn't all part of their plan."

"I want to believe them," Phoebe confessed. "You've no idea how much. These visions I've had of a peaceful future are so……But I'm not sure either. It still seems so convenient."

"Do you think Leo's okay?"

"I don't have my empathic ability," Phoebe reminded her sister, "but he seems to genuinely believe in the Avatars and what they want. He could've used his powers on us but he didn't. He's not going to force us into anything. And you know he's still protecting us. He won't let them hurt us either."

"What if we reject the Avatars idea of a utopia?" Piper worried. "What happens to Leo then? Does he become the enemy?"

"Of course not! Leo's family and always will be." But as the words quickly slipped from her mouth, Phoebe hugged her sister and tried not to wonder whether her promise would come back to haunt them.

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	3. chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Phoebe…" Paige greeted when she entered Phoebe's office.

Phoebe looked up in surprise, "Paige? What're you doing here? What's wrong?"

Touched that her sister's first instincts were of concern for her, Paige smiled sadly and replied, "Us…I miss my big sister."

"I miss my little sister," Phoebe admitted as she stood and walked around her desk to face Paige. She stared at her sister for a moment before she held out her arms to Paige. After Paige stepped into her embrace, Phoebe sighed in relief and stroked her sister's back. "I'm glad he makes you happy, sweetie."

"I know you're not jealous," Paige whispered before pulling away with a sniffle. "But it hurts that you don't trust him."

"And it hurts that you don't trust me," Phoebe gently countered.

"It's not that I don--"

"I don't want to see you make the same mistake I did," Phoebe interrupted.

"So you finally admit Cole was a mistake?"

"Loving Cole wasn't a mistake," Phoebe emphatically told her sister. "Don't think for one minute that I even remotely believe that."

"So, what then?"

"My mistake, one of my mistakes," she quickly corrected herself, "was that I didn't trust my sisters enough to consider their warnings. If I'd've listened earlier, I might've saved us all a lot of pain and grief and my life, our lives, might've been completely different now."

"You loved him," Paige shrugged.

"Now say it like you mean it." But Paige didn't respond so Phoebe sighed and said, "You wanna know something ironic? For all your sniping about my wild sex life with fears of commitment, the only man I ever completely committed myself to and waited before jumping into bed with him was Cole."

"Please…"

Stung by Paige's sarcastic tone and rolls of the eyes, Phoebe declared, "I didn't sleep with Cole until I knew that what we felt for each other was love. It's not that I didn't want to, I mean you do remember what he looked like…" She shook her head in annoyance that her heart would still skip a beat when she thought of him that way. The chemistryhad beenthere from that very first moment but, for some reason, she'd refused to give into her impulsive nature. Even from the start, she'd been careful with Cole taking it slow. He'd been different from any man she'd ever met and she'd wanted things to work out with him. So, instead of a series of meaningless quickies, she'd dated him, gotten to know him. And wanted him all the more.

"Earth to Pheebs…"

Phoebe blinked and realized she'd lost her train of thought. "Sorry, guess he's been on my mind a lot since last night."

"Because you learned he was an Avatar," Paige surmised. "Piper told me what you said before you ran out and that Leo figured it out. Isn't that enough to prove the Avatars are dangerous? Cole was insane and invincible and they wanted him on their side."

"Did Piper also tell you that they said Cole only agreed because of love?" Phoebe countered. "Just like Leo. Didn't you tell me that Cole seemed bothered by the altered world? That it wasn't what he'd expected?"

"Yeah," Paige warily replied. "But if you also remember I told you he was out to kill us. Again."

"Still," Phoebe sighed, "he created that world because he loved me. No matter how misguided his actions, it's the one thing that never wavered, Paige. Never. Our love was real. It took time to develop but it was real. So if you tell me that, after only a few weeks of knowing him, you're already that in love with Kyle, I'll be the first to congratulate you both and step aside."

Paige remained silent, unable to meet her sister's gaze. She was attracted to Kyle and enjoyed spending time with him and the fact that he knew her secret made it that much easier and she certainly wanted to see where the relationship could go but she'd be lying if she said she was madly in love with him. And Phoebe knew it. And she knew that Phoebe knew she knew it.

Relieved her instincts had been right and that her sister hadn't yet reached that plateau, Phoebe still let her sister stare at the floor while she continued to press on in order for Paige to truly understand why she's been so worried about Agent Brody. "When things ended with Cole the way they did, I thought I'd fall into a deep pit and never see light again. But with you and Piper I found my way back. And I love you both for it and I've tried to make you both proud by moving on with my life. But there are times when I still get scared dealing with issues of love and trust and it hurts when I look to you for encouragement and you're not there. I mean, does it depend on who's hurt me or was it payback for me somehow not being supportive to you?"

Paige stared at her sister in surprise. She'd never realized how badly Phoebe was still affected by what Cole had done to her. Why hadn't she let on? "Maybe we were caught up in our own problems and didn't realize you were hurting too," Paige uttered. "I guess it's sometimes been so frustrating watching you ac--"

"Act like an immature teenager?" Phoebe patted her sister's hand, "I get why you think that. I do. But did you ever really put yourselves in my shoes standing at the edge of the abyss being told to jump because it's okay but knowing, deep down, something was missing? Did you ever realize that even though you supported me and encouraged me while I fell in love with Jason, not once did either of you suggest that I tell him the truth? Not until right before the end, after more than a year, did we even talk about the idea of letting him in on our secret. And then, when he did find out…"

"He left you," Paige nodded sympathetically. "But you got past it."

"Um, you do remember my speed-dating frenzy, right?" Phoebe encouraged her sister to sit while she returned to her chair behind the desk. "I was blinded by a vision of the future I wanted so desperately that I needed the shock of losing my powers to finally remind me of who I am and what I want out of life. And I've had to learn all over again about letting someone into my heart. I didn't even like Leslie at first but I couldn't deny the connection. The first one since Jason and it scared me because I wasn't ready to go through another painful breakup which I knew was inevitable."

"You didn't give him a chance," Paige accused. "You were in such denial about wanting him that you never gave him the chance to know you."

"Number one, I wasn't in denial because, believe it or not, I was actually enjoying my independence and I wasn't looking to start a new relationship, and, number two," she added, "once I got to know him a little better, I did want to let him in. And maybe if he'd've stayed in the city I'd've had the chance. The point is, Paige, both were attractive, good, caring, creative, generous mortal men who wanted to be with me but I held back. I couldn't share with them a part of myself that I wasn't sure they'd understand. A part of myself that had been so easy to reveal to Cole."

"Because he'd researched you," Paige glared, "in order to kill you."

Phoebe exhaled in relief and leaned back in her chair. Paige finally gave her the opening she'd waited for and she smiled bitterly, "And how do you know Kyle didn't research you in order to kill you?"

Paige opened her mouth to argue but suddenly closed it when she realized Phoebe had steered the entire conversation in order to ask that one question. She'd fallen into the trap hook, line, and sinker and she folded her arms across her chest. "Not fair."

Phoebe tried not to sound smug when she asked, "But you can't answer me, can you? You may have even asked yourself the same question but convinced yourself it couldn't be true. Kyle couldn't be a demon trying to set you up by undermining your relationship with your sisters. That's something Cole would do, not Kyle. How close am I?"

"Warm," Paige reluctantly admitted.

"His story, and the way he came into our lives," Phoebe quietly said, "can seem just as convenient as the Avatars manipulating us into protecting the Seer. So, knowing that Kyle can have a dark side with his need for revenge and knowing what I went through with Cole, is it still so easy for you to believe Kyle and ignore my warnings to be careful?"

"Kyle's mortal just like Jason and Leslie," Paige insisted before adding, in Phoebe's own words, "He's attractive, good and caring and, in his own way, rather creative. And I don't have to hide anything from him because he understands me."

"Maybe he does," Phoebe conceded with a sigh. "Maybe Kyle's the guy who'll give you a happily ever after…" She slumped in her chair, emotionally drained from reliving her love life, knowing Paige was still clinging to the hope that Kyle was good. "God, it scares me the way you let him into our home, our secrets, when you barely knew him." She leaned forward again, resting her elbows on the desk, "Paige, this isn't like when you confessed all to Glenn. Agent Brody wasn't someone you'd trusted all your life that Piper and I could accept without question. He was someone who'd secretly had us under surveillance and practically blackmailed usinto helping him with some favor to be named at a future date. All we know about him is what he told you and, powers or not, I know there's more to him than meets the eye. And I wish you'd be more careful around him, certainly about spilling any more family secrets that could hur--"

"I didn't tell him about Leo," Paige quickly said before she frowned, "no matter how angry I am with Leo, I'd never reveal something like that unless Leo said it was okay."

"Good," Phoebe nodded, "because I'd hate to see Kyle do anything stupid like try to vanquish Leo."

"He wouldn't do that!" Paige exclaimed.

"Wouldn't he? From everything you've told us and everything we've seen, Kyle's been waiting his whole adult life for revenge against the Avatars. All of them. You think he'll let Leo go because we ask him to?"

"He wouldn't do that," Paige repeated.

"Honey, I want to believe that," Phoebe honestly said, "because I've seen how you've been glowing ever since you met him. I know you've been happy. You deserve happiness and I hope to God that Kyle's exactly what he says he is and that he can give it to you. But I don't think we can take that chance right now. There's a new Source in town, or will be soon, and we've got two babies in the family now. The three of us have to sit down and make some decisions about the Source and about the Avatars and what they're offering."

"I say they're evil and need to be vanquished," Paige contended.

"And I say you've only heard Kyle's side," Phoebe countered. "You didn't see the vision and you haven't heard the Avatars and you certainly haven't considered Leo." When Paige frowned, Phoebe added, "You owe it to him to hear his side and why he chose to become an Avatar."

"Fine," Paige grumbled before looking at her watch, "but right now I'd better get back to school."

As Paige stood and turned to go, the phone rang and Phoebe called out to her, "Are we okay?"

Paige hesitated before answering, "We're getting there."

Phoebe held up a finger, indicating for Paige to wait, and answered the phone, "Phoebe Halliwell." She frowned, barely able to understand Piper. "I can't under--"

"Chris…" Piper sobbed.

"What about Chris?" Phoebe stood, steeling herself for Piper's reply.

"He's gone…blood…my baby's gone…"

"We're on the way," Phoebe gasped as she rushed towards Paige and ordered, "Home now!"

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	4. chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"What the hell happened?" Paige uttered in dismay as she followed Phoebe into the boys' room and saw blood dripping from the railing of Chris's crib. His yellow blanket, barely hanging over the edge of the railing, seemed soaked with it. "Omigod…"

Phoebe knelt by Piper who sat on the floor rocking back-and-forth with a screaming Wyatt. As Paige lifted Wyatt from Piper's arms, Phoebe quickly hugged Piper when Piper shrieked with alarm. "It's okay," she soothed, "it's okay. Paige has Wyatt. He's safe. Shhhh…."

"My baby's gone…" Piper broke down in her sister's arms. "Oh God, Phoebe, my baby's gone…"

Paige tried to calm her nephew but he was as distraught as Piper. "What happened, Piper? Did you see it? Can you tell us?"

Cocooned in the warmth and security of her sister's arms, Piper's sobs eased and, after a few moments, she stopped Phoebe from stroking her hair and peeked at Paige. She lifted her head from Phoebe's shoulder and stared at her son who had finally quieted down in his aunt's arms. She glanced back at Phoebe.

"I might've sent an extra dose of love his way to help calm him," Phoebe admitted, grateful she still had enough of her empathic ability to at least do that much.

"He can never have too much love," Paige quietly agreed while she continued to gently rock and caress Wyatt. "I think seeing Mommy so upset made whatever happened here worse."

"I wasn't here," Piper shamefully whispered. "Chris was napping and Wyatt was playing so I figured I had time to throw another load into the wash." She closed her eyes and tried to take some more strength from her sister's comforting embrace. But, instead, she sat up straight and cleared her throat. "I had the monitor with me but I didn't hear anything unusual until I'd just finished folding it all. That's when I heard the voices."

"What kind of voices?" Phoebe wondered.

"Didn't hear them well," Piper shrugged, "was sorta like the low buzz of a TV. I barely made it into the kitchen when I heard Wyatt scream. I think I flew the rest of the way and then I found…I found…"

Phoebe pulled Piper close when Piper began to cry again. "We'll find Chris, I promise. Paige, why don't you take Wyatt and Piper into her room?" She nudged Piper away, "Go on, sweetie, I'll be there in a minute."

"Why isn't Leo here?" Piper sniffled. "I called for him, I yelled for him. Why isn't he here? Doesn't he know? Couldn't he feel his own son being…being…"

As Phoebe dried Piper's tears, Paige suggested, "Maybe it's the Avatars."

"Paige…" Phoebe warned.

"What I mean is," Paige quickly explained, "maybe being an Avatar's messed with his senses or something."

"It's never been a problem for him," Piper argued as she allowed Phoebe to help her stand, "not unless either of us was in the Underworld." Wyatt reached for her but she felt too shaky to trust herself to hold him. Instead, she nuzzled his cheek before she leaned against Paige and walked slowly into the hallway towards her room.

Alone, Phoebe reluctantly turned back to the crib. Reaching out with trembling fingers, she hadn't even touched the bloody blanket when she was hit by a brief vision. "Paige! C'mere!"

Paige orbed into the room in time to see Phoebe sink into the rocking chair and place her head between her knees. Paige hurried to her older sister and asked in concern, "Are you okay? Was it a premonition?"

"Wyatt killed him," Phoebe whispered as she slowly lifted her head.

"Chris?" Paige uttered in shock. "No, it can't b--"

"Not Chris," Phoebe quickly interrupted. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she panicked Paige again. She gazed at her sister and explained, "Three demons attacked. Human forms that bleed red so they're upper level."

"I thought we'd protected this room," Paige shook her head. "What good's that spell if the boys aren't safe?"

"I'll work on a Power of Three one," Phoebe promised. "I meant the blood's not Chris's."

"Then whose?"

"Demon," she wearily stated. If anything happened to Chris that they could've prevented by having had accepted the Avatars earlier, she'd never forgive herself. Would the deadly cycle of demonic attacks ever end? Was Leo right that they'd never have peaceful lives unless the demons were wiped out?

"Pheebs?"

"Sorry," she sighed. "I saw Wyatt wandering in here to find a demon standing by the crib holding Chris. The other two were right behind." Phoebe closed her eyes, seeing it all again and wishing she didn't, "One of the two shot a fireball at Wyatt but it was absorbed by his protective shield. And then the demon holding Chris threw an athame at Wyatt but Wyatt deflected it back at him with…with enough force to nearly decapitate him. God, it was still stuck in his neck as the blood poured out."

Shocked that her barely-two-year-old nephew could wield such violent power, Paige asked, "What about Chris?"

"He fell from the demon's hands as it died but he was caught by the next closest demon who shimmered out just as Wyatt's shield absorbed another fireball from the last demon." Phoebe slowly stood, "Wyatt exploded that demon and then blew up the body of the dead one." She gazed at Paige, "The look on Wyatt's face, the rage. He's barely past being a toddler, Paige, but he knew…he knew what he did and he was happy he did it. I have to see him, reach him, somehow."

"They were sitting on her bed and Piper was gonna to read to him. Maybe we should perform a forgetful spell on him," Paige worried. "He's too little to be burdened with all this evil."

"Maybe," Phoebe agreed. "It scares me, Paige, to see him like that. What if this was the event that big Chris was trying to prevent? What if this's what scars Wyatt emotionally and changes him? What if it's already too late for us to help him?"

Paige patted Phoebe's arm, "We'll make sure it's not too late. We're gonna find Chris and shower both little boy with so much love and attention, Wyatt won't ever remember what happened here today."

Phoebe scanned the room and a shiver ran down her spine. "I think I'll perform one of the little rituals to cleanse the evil from this room."

"Good idea," Paige nodded. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna start scrying for the demon," Paige announced as she picked up the bloody blanket with two fingers and held it as far from her as possible. "I'll be in the attic," she added as she left the room.

"I'll be up soon to look through the Book," Phoebe nodded. "The demons seemed to be dressed in black leather but were definitely sleeveless so I could see the tattoos on their biceps. Weird squiggly things. Might help identify them."

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Paige dropped the crystal on the map in frustration. "Still nothing. What about you, Pheebs?"

Phoebe looked up from the Book and glanced at Piper who sat quietly on the sofa, arms wrapped tightly around a sleeping Wyatt. "I've been through the indexed sections on upper-level demons, fireball-throwing demons, and leather-clad ones but nothing yet. I'll try the tattoo section next."

Piper's eyebrows wrinkled as she questioned her sisters, "Who indexed the Book by fashion?" When both stammered, she shook her head and nearly smiled, "Never mind…Maybe we should try calling for Chris again."

Paige suggested, "Maybe if we have Wyatt hel--"

"No!" Piper sharply interrupted. When Wyatt stirred in her arms she closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath before telling her sisters, "Wyatt's been through too much already. We'll try again on our own."

But, just as Paige and Phoebe approached Piper to perform the spell, Leo orbed into the room. His shirt was ripped at his upper-left shoulder and scorched on his right sleeve. His hair was mussed and he had a dark smudge on his right cheek.

"What happened to you?" Paige asked as she watched him kneel before Piper and Wyatt.

Leo gingerly ran his fingers through Wyatt's soft hair and slowly met Piper's gaze. "I thought I could find the demons."

"Did you?" she asked, not yet willing to forgive his absence when she'd called earlier.

"No," he replied, "even if there are five less Krindling demons roaming the Underworld now." Wyatt stirred and Leo couldn't help but smile at the sleepy expression his son gave him. "Hey, buddy…"

"Make him forget, Leo," Piper demanded, unwilling to relinquish her squirming son even to his father.

"Piper…"

"Screw the rules," she snapped above Wyatt's whining. "You've used the dust for total strangers. We're talking about your son, Leo," Now, she practically shoved Wyatt at Leo and watched as the golden dust was sprinkled over Wyatt's head. If the situation hadn't been so deadly, she might've smiled at the way her baby boy giggled and sneezed and tried catching the dust with his tongue. Her baby boy….Chris...

"That's right, Wyatt," Leo encouraged as his son's eyelids began to droop, "it's naptime. You're safe. We'll find Chris. Mommy and I will protect you, both of you."

"They're not safe, they'll never be safe, not while demons still exist. You can't promise that," Piper croaked as tears stung her eyes, "not anymore."

"Perhaps we can…"

Piper looked up to see the Avatar leader standing in the attic and quickly pulled Wyatt back into her arms. She began to gently rock him to prevent his fully waking. "With all that talk of seeing the future, you couldn't warn us that my sons were in danger?"

"It is not our place to become involved in the day-to-day aspects of mortal living," he apologized.

"So not the way to get us on your side, pal," Phoebe retorted.

"And yet," he acknowledged, "I am here to offer assistance. Zankou's release was unexpected and you will need all available resources to defeat him and his legions."

"We've defeated the Source twice before," Phoebe stated. "Are you saying Zankou is even more powerful? That we won't be able to defeat him?"

When the Avatar nodded, Paige warily asked, "So what kind of help are you offering? What's the catch?"

Piper gazed down at her son and quietly wondered, "Does it even matter if my sons are in danger?" She looked at her youngest sister and wiped away a tear that escaped down her cheek, "I'll do anything to save them, Paige. Anything."

Still suspicious of the offer, Phoebe watched the Avatar's reaction, "This could still be part of some elaborate plan of yours to gain, I don't know, power over the world…"

"I apologize for not having had the sufficient time to work with you and earn your trust but, I assure you, the danger is grave and Zankou must be defeated." He focused on Leo, "You have witnessed the power of altering reality and manipulating time. You know that what affects you affects us all." Leo nodded so he continued, "You are being given a chance, a choice, actually. Seek out one, and only one, to help you in your quest to find your son and defeat Zankou. The consequences of your choice, of your actions, will ripple throughout the entire order and this current reality. You must understand, what you do cannot be undone. There will be no second chances this time. Choose wisely, Leo."

"And may the Force be with you too," Paige muttered when the Avatar immediately disappeared.

Kissing the top of Wyatt's soft hair, Piper added, "How the hell do we choose wisely when we don't know what we're up against?"

"This's gonna be just as bad as getting rid of Cole," Paige muttered.

Phoebe shot her younger sister an angry look but placed her hand on Piper's shoulder, gave it an encouraging squeeze, and suggested, "I'm thinking Grams. No one messes with Grams or her family and lives to tell about it."

As Piper perked up with a smile, Paige glanced from one sister to the next and almost couldn't find her voice to ask, "What about…um, Prue?"

Phoebe quickly hugged Paige, "Prue's a great choice. Thank you, honey."

Paige returned the hug and shrugged, "I know I've never been able to replace her and maybe if she was h--"

"Prue was one-of-a-kind," Piper interrupted, "but so are you, Paige. You're our sister and we love you."

"And we're so happy we found you," Phoebe added, "or you found us…whatever, we're family and that's that."

Paige smiled gratefully and stepped out of Phoebe's embrace, "So, wha'd'ya think? Power of Four?"

Phoebe turned back to Piper and grinned, "Sounds a helluva lot more powerful than Power of Three."

"Poor Prue won't know what hit her with two baby sisters around to steal her jewelry," Piper teased.

"Hey," Phoebe sniffed, "I never stole. I borrowed."

"Without returning," Piper chuckled before nodding to Leo. "Okay, Prue it is. Do you need a spell or can you just call for her?"

"No," Leo shook his head.

"Okay then," Phoebe nodded, "do you need anything for a potion? Just tell us how to help and we will."

Leo looked at them all with discomfort. Their bantering had been welcome relief from the pain over Chris's kidnapping but his decision was about to ground them back to harsh reality.

Piper recognized the signs in Leo's demeanor. He had bad news to share. "Is it Chris? You have to tell me."

"Not Chris…I'm sorry, Piper," he somberly apologized, "but Prue can't help. Not with this."

Piper waved away his comment, "Sure she can. You know Prue was the strongest of us. With her back, Zankou won't stand a snowball's chance…"

"Prue was powerful but she also had that Halliwell pride which tended to get in the way of her seeing things clearly," he quietly said. "I know you all miss her but I haven't chosen Prue."

Paige's gaze narrowed as she stared intently at him, "You haven't chosen?"

"The choice is mine, Paige," he answered simply, "and mine alone."

Paige clenched her mouth, "And we're left to suffer the consequences? Dammit, ever since the Avatars --"

"Leo," Piper intervened, "we're talking about our son. This should be a mutual decision."

"I'm sorry, Piper," he repeated. He reached out to her but she jerked away. Nodding grimly, he added, "I'll be back soon. Continue scrying but don't go after the demons until I get back. I mean it."

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Paige slapped her hand down on the crystal, "Got 'em!"

Phoebe hurried over and glanced over Paige's shoulder at the map to see where Paige was pointing, "That's P3!"

"Strange, huh," she acknowledged, "that they didn't show up earlier. Anyone in yet, Piper, or do we have the place to ourselves?"

Piper tucked a blanket around Wyatt who lay sleeping in the playpen and she stood straight before checking at her watch. "We'll have a couple of hours. Hopefully, we'll be finished cleaning up long before anyone comes in. Phoebe, stay here with Wyatt while Paige and I go there and take care of the demon."

Phoebe frowned, "Leo said to stay here 'til he got back."

"He's been gone for forty minutes and I'm not waiting another forty to get my son!" Piper quickly checked Wyatt and exhaled in relief that he hadn't woken from her outburst.

"Why don't we drop off Wyatt at Magic School so we can all go?" Phoebe suggested. "We might need the Power of Three."

"I don't want Wyatt left alone," Piper disagreed. "This's our power center and you'll be here with him."

"What if I called Kyle and asked him to watch Wyatt? That way we can all go and Wyatt'll still be safe," Paige compromised. Acknowledging Phoebe's outraged gasp, she said, "Look, Wyatt's never sensed he was evil before and we know he can touch the Book."

"That doesn't mean he's got an open invitation to visit it," Phoebe glared. "And now isn't the time to be convincing us of Kyle."

"But you're so convinced the Avatar's here to help?" Paige countered. "You're the one who said it could still be a setup. How d'you know Leo hasn't been tricked into choosing someone that'll make Zankou even more powerful? Or that it isn't a trap to get one of us? Or all of us? Kyle's got a vanquish and isn't afraid of using it."

"Exactly," Phoebe declared. "I don't want Wyatt caught in the crossfire if Kyle starts up with the Avatars. What if Leo co--"

"Enough!" Piper seethed. "Right now, I don't give a damn about Kyle Brody, the Avatars, or Zankou! I just want my son back!"

"Then by all means, let's get him back."

The sisters spun at the sound of the voice from their past.

He was disheveled and looked both exhausted and furious but Phoebe's heart still skipped a beat as she whispered his name, "Cole…"

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	5. chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"You son of a bitch," Paige angrily whispered as she stared at the demon standing next to her brother-in-law. The demon that hadn't aged a moment from when she'd witnessed his final vanquish two years earlier.

Leo realized Paige's comment wasn't directed solely at Cole and, disappointed by her lack of trust in him, he promised the sisters, "He's going to help."

"Yeah, help destroy us," Paige spat.

Piper glared at Cole who hadn't taken his eyes off Phoebe. "I hate this too but I'd work with the Source himself if it means getting Chris back."

Paige frowned when she noticed Phoebe staring at Cole, "Same thing."

"No, it's not. He's not the Source and he's not an Avatar," Leo assured them. He'd known his decision would be met with outrage but couldn't they understand that Cole was their only chance at getting Chris back safely and defeating Zankou? Even the Avatars admitted that Cole was unique in knowing both the good and evil worlds.

"So, what, he's human, an innocent?" Paige grimaced as if the thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"I am what I was when I first met you," Cole finally said. Her hairstyle was different again but Phoebe still took his breath away.

"Belthazor," Phoebe realized in a whisper. Given that Belthazor's mission had been to destroy the Charmed Ones, a part of her, ironically, felt relieved by this revelation.

He nodded, "It's as if he'd never been stripped."

Knowing how he'd wanted to be rid of his evil side but how lost he'd been without it, she quietly asked, "Are you okay?"

Taken aback by her quiet show of concern, he wasn't sure how much she genuinely wanted to know. Deciding to wait until he had a better sense of her position, he gave her a simple answer, "For the moment."

"And that makes it all better?" Paige practically shouted. "Have you all forgotten what he was like before we got rid of him for good?"

"He's not super-powerful, he's not invincible, and he's not insane," Leo clarified.

'_Not anymore,'_ Cole thought to himself, amazed at how clearly he now saw himself. Oh, he'd known she wasn't really his Phoebe when she threw the vanquishing potion at him but the look in her eyes and the realization of how badly his alternate-self had hurt her, combined with the reluctant acknowledgement that he and Phoebe ended badly no matter what the reality, filled him with as much pain as that of the physical burning he'd suffered from the potion. Since his escape from the Wasteland, he'd been obsessed with reuniting with Phoebe, obsessed with proving himself to her and her sisters. But it wasn't until he'd felt himself once again being torn apart by the potion that he realized he'd not only failed her but failed himself. And the knowledge of that failure made his anguishing vanquish a welcome end to what had become an unhappy bitter life. What had Leo done? Would he ever find eternal rest? Would he ever deserve it? Paige's sharp curse brought his thoughts back to the present and he momentarily wondered if it was even remotely possible for her to consider that he'd had no choice in his return.

"Paige…" Leo sighed. "All of you, please, trust me, I know what I've done."

"Do you?" Paige retorted. "He's fooled us before. This could be another trick and it won't be just us who'll pay the price. It'll be your sons, not to mention the rest of the world."

"Paige, please, this is hard enough," Phoebe quietly said. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask. But all she could do was watch him and wonder what she'd done to deserve this chance to find closure. If that's what she truly wanted…would they even have time to find out?

"Mama!"

Piper spun at her son's cry and quickly lifted him from the playpen. She kissed him and rubbed noses with him and murmured comforting phrases until he completely wakened and smiled back at her. The last thing she wanted was for him to become upset again. So, lightly bouncing him in her arms, she told Paige in a calm, even, tone, "I want my son back. Cole helps, end of story."

Phoebe watched her younger sister reluctantly nod to Piper. She stole a glance at Cole, who eyed Wyatt with intrigue, and added, "He doesn't have to help."

"What?" Paige screeched.

"What?" Cole uttered at the same moment.

Wishing her heart would stop pounding with excitement, Phoebe resisted the urge to stroke Cole's cheek and kept her distance as she told him, "You didn't ask for this and, after everything we've been through, you don't have to help. You're free to walk away right now, no strings…"

"After everything we've been through, I want to help," he declared to her.

"Cole…"

He knew she wanted to talk, needed to talk, just as he did, but he shook his head, "Later. First we have to find your nephew."

Feeling betrayed by Phoebe, Paige warned her sister, "He put us all through hell and I'm gonna make sure it doesn't happen again." She strode to the table, picked up the athame, and headed for Cole.

Phoebe quickly stepped in front of Cole. "No one can change the past," she told her sister, "and maybe it's time we acknowledged other perspectives on what happened."

"Of course you feel this way," Paige exclaimed as she threw her hands up, "you're still in love with him! But smell the roses, Phoebe, demons and witches aren't meant to be together. Or haven't you had enough tragedies to prove it?"

Cole hadn't heard anything past Paige's claim that Phoebe still loved him. With a new critical eye, he stared at his ex-wife who, to his surprise, now held the athame in her hand. When did she take it from Paige? He frowned, now spotting the sadness radiating from deep within her. Was he still the cause of her pain? Leo said that it'd actually been two years since he'd last been in her life but, while he no longer saw the anger and bitterness he'd seen just a week ago in his time, did that mean Phoebe had forgiven him? Maybe his presence was merely a painful reminder to her of a painful chapter in her life. Maybe she still wanted nothing to do with him. She glanced back at him and he wondered if Paige was right. Could Phoebe still be in love with him?

"The only tragedies about to be suffered will be in the Underworld for the loss of Zankou," Phoebe sharply informed her sister. But, when she caught Cole's hopeful gaze, she quickly averted her eyes and turned to leave, "I have to check on the potion."

"Sure, run away," Paige grumbled, "'swhat you do best."

Cole saw Phoebe stiffen and knew Paige's comment hit home. Obviously, Phoebe still delayed confrontation whenever possible. Phoebe, though, turned back to face her sister and he realized that, in addition to a great sadness, there was a new hardness about her and he wondered if he'd helped place it there too.

"By all means, Paige, finish the potion yourself even though you've never made it before," Phoebe sarcastically encouraged. "Don't worry about our nephew's life hanging in the balance. It's certainly more important for me to chat with Cole about the good old days."

"Phoebe…"

"What, Piper?" Phoebe snapped. "You wanna dig in your two cents about good old Phoebe always choosing the demon over her family?"

"That's not true," Cole gently reminded her, "and they know it."

But Phoebe didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to be reminded of how she'd made her choices, and how everyone had suffered for them. Especially not now when Chris was in danger. Her hands went to her hips and she demanded of Paige, "What's it gonna be then, Cole or potion?"

"Finish the potion," Paige acquiesced.

"No, Phoebe," Piper disagreed when Phoebe muttered an acknowledgement. "I'll finish it with Paige. You're the only one who saw the demons in that vision. Work with Cole to identify them in case we need to prepare a different vanquish. I don't want any surprises when get to P3."

"Fine," both her younger sisters nodded.

Just as Paige and Piper were about to head down the stairs, Cole impulsively called back Paige. When she flashed him a look of annoyance, he grabbed the athame from Phoebe's hand and, before anyone could react, swiftly transformed himself into Belthazor and sliced away a small piece of his left forearm.

"Cole!" Phoebe cried out as Belthazor morphed back into Cole.

Handing Paige the piece of flesh, Cole offered, "Make the potion."

She stared at it before warning both men, "This'll do but it'd better not be a trick."

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A fireball exploded a stack of glasses. "Can you not shut it up?"

"That's it, pal," Phoebe muttered from her spot behind the curtain of the back passageway that led to Piper's office. She'd watched the demons that sat at the bar long enough. It was time to rescue the baby who lay screaming on the floor.

"We're to leave it unharmed until we receive further instructions," the other demon snapped.

"You distract 'em, Cole," Phoebe whispered, "while I grab Chris." She took a step forward but Cole's arm restrained her and she suddenly felt herself being shimmered. "We had them…" she angrily complained to Cole when they appeared in the manor's kitchen.

"Well? Did they have Chris?" Piper immediately demanded.

"They're Triavs, all right," Cole announced, "and they have Chris." Wryly, he noticed the familiar pink potion already bottled and ready on the counter. He looked to Paige who hovered over a boiling potion.

Paige caught his expression and smugly smiled. She was an old pro now at making the Belthazor vanquish.

Gulping down another wave of nausea, Phoebe missed the exchange and questioned, "Why'd you shimmer us out of there? Without their third partner, we could've taken them."

"He was probably invisible, keeping watch," he replied. "We weren't ready to attack." He knew she was antsy and he couldn't help but wonder if it was more to rescue her nephew or to send him away before he turned her life any more upside-down.

"We could've taken them," Phoebe insisted with a groan. She'd forgotten how nauseous shimmering made her feel in the beginning. It had taken her a while to develop a taste for it. Or was it a taste for who shimmered with her? She shook her head, forcing herself back to the situation at hand. "You warned us the demon would've picked up two new partners but we only saw the two and they were frustrated and on edge."

"Making them more dangerous, not less," he lectured.

"Cole's right," Leo interjected, "you were there to observe. You weren't prepared to attack them. Listen to me, you can't take risks now."

"They were probably drunk," Phoebe continued. "There had to've been at least five empty bottles lying there."

"Again, doesn't mean they would've been less dangerous," Piper commented. "Now, how was Chris?"

"Most upper level demons can hold their liquor," Cole simultaneously informed Phoebe.

"Voice of experience?" Paige taunted. To her annoyance Phoebe cringed at the insult. "Don't you dare apologize for his drinking."

Phoebe glanced at Cole and was tempted to ask about those last few weeks but she couldn't bring herself to speak about anything personal. During the time they'd been alone in the attic, all their comments to each other had strictly concerned the demons that had taken Chris. Was he unsure about confronting their past too? Was that why he hadn't made any moves? Or was it that he no longer felt anything for her? Had they hurt each other irreparably? Would it even be possible to find closure now?

Piper, growing more upset by their lack of response to her questions about Chris, worried, "What about Chris? I have to know. Did you see him? Was he all right?"

"I told you I would know if something happened to him," Leo quietly told Piper as he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. He was relieved when she didn't pull away this time. She wasn't truly angry with him for not coming when she called but she wasn't quite ready to embrace his new duality either. His acceptance of Avatar powers was something they would have to deal with together. _'If only it wasn't under these circumstances,'_ he wished.

Phoebe reached out and touched her sister's arm, "Other than being unhappy with his demon babysitters, he seemed fine, sweetie. Lungs're as powerful as ever."

"He's missed his feeding," Piper whispered and leaned into Leo's embrace.

Phoebe patted her sister's arm again and turned to her younger sister, "How's that new vanquish coming along?"

"Finished," Paige declared as she shut off the stove's burner.

"Boiled for three minutes?" Cole inquired.

"To the second," she insisted. "Now let's get this show on the road." The sooner they got Chris back, the sooner Cole would be gone.

"Leo, maybe you oughtta take Wyatt somewhere else," Piper requested as Paige began to pour the potion into three bottles, "just in case something goes wrong."

Leo shook his head, "We'll be fine here." He kissed her forehead, "Be careful."

"Remember," Cole cautioned, "don't show off or get cocky. The mission is to rescue the baby first, defeat demons second. And the key to defeating them is: Divide and conquer. Got it?" When all three sisters agreed, he nodded curtly, "Then let's go."

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	6. chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Damn," Paige grumbled, "Chris isn't coming when I call for him."

"Could be a magical block," Phoebe suggested. "We should've gone after him when we had the chance before."

Knowing it was made out of concern for the child rather than aimed specifically against him, Cole let the accusation pass while he remained standing behind the sisters. "If they're blocking him now, they were blocking him then."

"The Triavs're expecting us to rescue him," Phoebe sighed, acknowledging Cole's proper decision earlier. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Well, I hate it," Piper muttered.

Cole restrained her a moment to warn, "We stick to the plan. Divide and conquer. Use your potion at the point of vanquish so their deaths can't attract reinforcements. And do it fast because those reinforcements will arrive in the blink of an eye."

"Mommy's coming," she whispered when she peeked from behind the curtain and watched Chris who was unhappily taped to one of the tabletops. She glanced at Phoebe and fumed, "Look what they did to my baby!"

"At least he's not screaming like he was before," she said before she turned to Cole, "I still only see the two from before. Maybe it won't -"

"Don't be fooled," he interrupted. "The third one is around somewhere. And be careful," he warned again, "Piper and Paige will have their hands full while you're going after the baby."

"No worries, I know you're here," she replied distractedly while she watched the two demons pacing around Chris's table. But when she heard Paige's gasp, she realized what she'd said and cleared her throat, "I mean we know you're keeping an eye out for the third Triav and will back us up."

"Right," Cole hesitantly agreed. He gazed at Phoebe and decided that the comment was unintentional and due to her still being in shock at his return. As soon as they'd get the baby home, she'd be telling him to leave again, using the same speech he'd heard too many times before. She's good, he's evil, she'll love him but can't be with him. _'What the hell kind of love is that? Damn Leo for bringing me back to this…'_

"Enough," Piper decreed, "I want my son." Without waiting for responses, she whipped aside the curtain, stepped into the club, and blew up the Triav on the left.

The second demon immediately retaliated but Paige called for the fireball in mid-flight, sent it right back at him, and nodded in satisfaction when he exploded in a flurry of black ash.

The sisters then ran to the table but, the instant she reached for her son, Piper was shocked by a burst of blue electricity, thrown back a few feet, and collapsed to the floor.

Paige orbed to Piper's side while Phoebe began reciting spells to try and break the trap.

Dazed, Piper managed to stand with Paige's help, "Is Chris okay?"

"He's fine," Paige assured her just as a fireball went whizzing by their heads. With a cry of surprise, Paige orbed herself and Piper to safety on the other side of the bar. "We didn't use the potions, Piper! Replacements're already here!"

"Phoebe, get down!" Piper shouted as she darted behind a table, pushed it down on its side for cover, and managed to blow up one of the two new demons along the way. "How's he expect us to use the potions if we're under constant fire?"

"Cole!" Paige shouted. "You're supposed to be backing us up!"

Phoebe had ducked under Chris's table and spotted Cole firing at, and destroying, the second Triav. As Cole made his way to her sisters, admonishing them for again not using the potions, Phoebe crept out from under the table and concentrated on a spell to break Chris free,

_"Electric blue sparks reign you in,_

_But now your freedom I will win."_

Just as Cole reached them, Piper got to her feet and saw Phoebe clap excitedly and free her son from the tape. "She did it," Piper sighed in relief and grinned at Paige. "She's got him."

Cole turned, saw Phoebe holding the baby, and urged, "Let's go. Now."

"Look out!" Paige shoved Cole down while Piper dove again behind the table. The incoming fireballs blew up the tables behind them.

"Get Chris!" Piper ordered Paige while she and Cole fired back at the two approaching Triavs.

"Use the potion!" Cole reprimanded her as he fired again, striking one demon square in the chest. "Now!"

"Fine," Piper grumbled as she fumbled for it in her pocket, half-stood, and aimed the bottle at the same demon. She let the bottle fly and it shattered when it hit the Triav's right thigh. He was quickly enveloped in a thick haze of brown smoke before bursting apart in tiny pieces. Falling back on her butt from the explosion, she muttered, "One down, at least two to go…"

As soon as the firefight began, Phoebe ducked with Chris behind one of the tables. She kept her eyes on the passageway to the back office and wondered if she'd be safer with Chris in the back or if she'd be trapping herself if one of the Triavs found her there. Just as Paige orbed next to her, she shouted a warning, "Demon!"

Paige caught sight of the demon and immediately orbed to Piper and Cole, out of the line of fire. She called for one of the liquor bottles from the bar and sent it flying at the Triav's head.

Phoebe scrambled out of the way just as the demon collapsed behind her. She heard Cole's warning to jump but, when she tried to run, she felt the demon grab her left ankle. Dazed as he was, she still couldn't break free from his grip while carrying Chris and, suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her lower back. She stumbled and, in order to shield Chris, twisted herself so that she took the brunt of the fall.

Paige watched in horror as her sister, stabbed in the back with an athame, crashed into one of the tables with the baby. Hearing Piper scream Phoebe's name snapped her from her shock and she sent her potion flying at the demon. "Cole!" As soon as the combined energy ball and potion vial destroyed the demon, Paige ran to her sister, "Phoebe!"

Still stunned from both the earlier trap and watching her sister and baby boy go down, Piper accepted Cole's help to stand so she could get to them. The fallen table was blocking her view and the silence from her sister and son across the club floor sent waves of fear running through her. "Phoebe!" And when she heard Phoebe's dazed reply, she automatically grabbed onto Cole in relief with one hand while her other hand covered her heart in an attempt to calm its rapid beating. "Oh, thank God…"

"'kay…give me a sec…" Chris was mewling and squirming in her arms but Phoebe didn't loosen her hold on him. The sight of blood on him frightened her, though, and it took a moment for her to move her fingers to examine him and realize that it was her blood staining his onesie. And that's when the pain hit. In her back, her head, even her left leg. But all that was nothing compared to the pain in her chest with every breath she took. She thought she heard her sisters calling her but she needed to close her eyes. She'd answer Piper in a moment.

Piper was moving too slowly and Cole couldn't wait. He shimmered directly to Phoebe and was shaken by what he saw. Apart from the blood covering the baby's side, Phoebe's eyes were closed, she was too pale, and wheezing with every shallow breath. Her left leg was horribly twisted beneath her and, to his horror, it looked as if a rib had broken and punctured her skin, soaking her side in blood. He tried to speak her name but his voice didn't come. He practically fell to his knees and, afraid that touching her would worsen her injuries, he merely brushed some hair from her eyes. He discovered a red welt from where she'd evidently hit the foot of the chair when she'd hit the floor. The baby's tiny fingers flailed at his hand and he stared at the baby with helplessness. Phoebe wasn't going to make it and his heart caught in his chest as he finally whispered her name.

Phoebe coughed painfully and opened her eyes to find herself staring into Cole's worried ones. "Chris's…okay," she gasped. She smiled in spite of the pain, "We did it…always made…good team…I'm…glad…"

Cole suddenly felt cold. Until he and Phoebe cleared the air and talked, really talked, she would never deliberately compliment him. Not unless she…"No," he whispered. "Dammit, Phoebe, don't you dare do this! Why the hell didn't you levitate?" He closed his eyes and cursed himself for yelling at her.

'_Typical, I save an innocent, give a compliment, and get hurt, and I'm still yelled at for doing the wrong thing…' _Phoebe laughed but, to her surprise, it came out as a strangled cry of pain and she was suddenly scared for herself. "Can't…" she replied in an attempt to push back the fear. _'Talk to him…' _Chris kicked out and she jerked in pain, seeing stars before her eyes. "God, it…hurts like hell…"

"Don't try to talk," he warned, barely aware of Paige's soft cry when she joined them. And he refused to take his eyes off Phoebe when Paige dropped to her knees opposite him. "Call Leo," he growled.

Phoebe moaned and, recalling her many training sessions with Cole, reminded him, "Work through…pain…can do…it…" She had to focus on something else so she tried to explain about her inability to levitate. "Power gone…taken…didn't de..serve it…"

"I don't understand, the Triavs can't steal powers," he responded.

"Long story…" she weakly replied. Chris was suddenly pulled from her arms and she moaned in protest.

"Don't talk," Paige requested with tears in her eyes as she carefully lifted Chris from her sister's arms. "Chris's fine, I've got him. He's okay. You did it, Pheebs, you saved him." She couldn't speak any further and, instead, squeezed Chris tighter and nuzzled his cheek.

Piper finally made her way over and fell to her knees in shock next to Paige. "LEO!"

"Numb…" Phoebe uttered in confusion. "leg…cold…"

Cole exchanged a concerned glance with her sisters. Phoebe didn't seem to realize the severity of her injuries and he couldn't take it anymore. Without warning, he gathered Phoebe in his arms and wished she didn't feel so fragile.

At least she felt warm now. But he was shaking. Why was Cole shaking? She saw tears streaming down Piper's cheeks. "He's okay," Phoebe promised her older sister as Paige transferred the baby to his mother. "Blood…not his." Her forehead wrinkled as she frowned, "Don't...think…come out…sorry…"

"No worries," Piper fearfully whispered as she hugged her son. "Don't talk, Pheebs, 'til Leo gets here and heals you." She'd barely finished speaking when Phoebe fell into a coughing fit.

Paige immediately grabbed a white napkin that had fallen to the floor and handed it to Cole who tenderly wiped away the blood that Phoebe had coughed up. The stain on her side seemed to be spreading. "Phoebe…"

"Where the hell is Leo?" he snarled in return.

"Leo!" Paige cried out just as a new demon appeared in the center of the room. "Look out!"

Piper automatically crouched and shielded her son, "Third Triav!"

With Cole bent over Phoebe to protect her, Paige concentrated and, for the first time, managed to orb the demon back several feet away from them. Squeezing her eyes shut, she sent him further back, crashing him into some tables. Recovering quickly from the exertion, she demanded, "Quick, Cole, send an energy ball at him so I can throw Phoebe's potion!" But Cole hadn't taken his eyes off her sister and she didn't have the energy to send the Triav flying again so she tried her earlier trick of knocking out the demon with a liquor bottle. It worked but this one wasn't as dazed as the other had been. In fact, this one suddenly turned invisible. She sent another bottle flying to that spot but it sailed through the air until it smashed into the far wall. Getting up, she stalked to the center of the club and scanned the area. "Dammit, Cole, he's gone!"

Cole suddenly looked up and took in Paige's furious expression. Instinctively, he fired an energy ball in her direction.

Outraged that he'd dare attack her, Paige was slow to react and didn't immediately orb away from the energy ball. But, just as it was about to reach her, it exploded and the form of the Triav suddenly turned visible.

In that split second, Cole threw Phoebe's potion at the demon.

Stunned that Cole had just saved her life, Paige just stood there and watched the Triav, maybe only half-a-foot from her, as it was enveloped in a brown haze and exploded. "You saved me," she commented in disbelief.

But with Phoebe lying so still in his arms, Cole caressed her cheek and replied dismissively, "Returning the favor."

It took a moment for Paige to realize he was referring to when she shoved him to the floor during the earlier attack. She was about to insist that she hadn't planned to but Phoebe began gasping for breath.

Seeing the fear in her brown eyes, Cole tried to assure her with a smile but he couldn't quite manage it. "Don't try to talk," he cautioned when she attempted to speak. "Save your strength."

"Leo!" Piper called out, deathly afraid she was about to lose another sister.

She was so tired and could barely move. And it was a painful struggle to reach for Cole's hand but Phoebe managed it before suffering another coughing fit. She felt helpless as he gently wiped her mouth with a napkin but she had to tell him. Had to let him know what she felt. What she'd always felt. She called his name but blood bubbled from her lips again and she squeezed his hand in fear.

"It's okay," he soothed her as he wiped away the fresh blood. But he was dismayed by her limp grip and hissed to Piper, "Find Leo, now!" Phoebe clearly wanted to talk but he shook his head and placed his fingers to her lips, "You'll tell me later. After Leo heals you."

But Phoebe needed to tell him and tears of frustration stung her eyes when she couldn't form the words. In fact, it took just about all her strength to say only word that she hoped he'd believe, "…sorry…" But she couldn't see his reaction or hear his voice when everything dissolved into darkness.

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In the solarium, Piper stood back and watched Leo and Paige attempt to heal Phoebe. She couldn't control a shiver of fear as she realized that if Cole hadn't shimmered to the house with Phoebe at that moment, they might not've found Leo in time. She squeezed her eyes shut when the image of Leo unconscious flashed in her mind. He'd been bathing Wyatt and…all that water sloshing around him… Wyatt still clung to her leg and hadn't let go from the moment she'd pulled him from the tub. She couldn't even worry about the fact that he hadn't uttered even a syllable since. She barely felt Chris's soft cheek nuzzle her neck in discomfort from rubbing against her damp shirt. She couldn't think of anything other than the fact that she was about to lose Phoebe. Cole's demand to heal Phoebe nearly made her jump and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Chris.

Paige heard the tone in Cole's voice and realized he was scared, scared of losing Phoebe, and the part of her that realized his concern could understand and forgive the outburst. Because she was scared too. Sure, she'd lost Prue but she'd never had a real connection to her eldest sister. Phoebe, though, was a different story. Phoebe was the first to welcome her into the family and the first to express a desire to know her. No matter how much they each screwed up, they were there for each other. And no argument about Kyle or Cole could take away the love they felt for each other. "I need you," she whispered to her sister. "You can't leave me when I've just found you."

"She won't," Cole stated. Phoebe was too strong to let it all end now. Hell, he'd shimmer away in a split second and never return if only she'd open her eyes and demand it.

But Paige wasn't so sure. It was taking them too long and healing wasn't one of her stronger abilities and if Leo couldn't do it… _'What the hell happened to him? I thought he was an Avatar…' _She glanced at him and wished he wasn't so pale and that his hands weren't trembling beneath hers. "Leo …"

Leo felt the wane in energy and urged, in a tone weaker than he'd realized, "Concentrate, Paige, clear your mind. I can't do this alone."

Piper observed Cole who stood closer to her, away from the others. He was absolutely still but for the clenching and unclenching of his fists. Leo promised them that Cole was stable but what if something happened to Phoebe? Would that send him over the edge again? Especially if there was so much left unsaid between him and her sister? _'No,' _she decided,_ 'nothing's gonna happen to Cole because Phoebe's gonna be fine. Leo'll heal her and she'll be good as new.'_ But when she glanced at her husband and noticed the beads of sweat trickling down the sides and back of his neck, she bit back a sob. He wasn't in any condition right now to heal even minor injuries, much less the grievous wounds on her sister, while Paige barely had any healing ability. Piper waved her hands in a desperate bid to freeze Phoebe and buy Leo some time to rest.

"It won't work," Cole informed her in a low tone. He'd caught the motion of her hands and knew what she'd intended. "You can't freeze witches, certainly not your sister."

"Leo needs time to recover," she pleaded. "Isn't there anything?"

"Unless you know another Whitelighter," he grimly said, "it's up to him and Paige."

Paige was startled when the glow from his hands started to dim, "Leo?"

Leo shook his head and sat back on his heels, "I've done all I can, Paige. The rest is up to Phoebe."

"So, what," Cole angrily marched over to them, "that's it? You're giving up?"

"I've done all I can," Leo repeated in a tired voice. "I've healed her injuries," he assured Piper, "but she still needs time to recover. She's going to be sore and weak, maybe even a little dazed. She needs to rest."

Catching Leo's elbow when he staggered after standing, Paige commented, "And so do you." With a quick nod to her older sister, she announced, "I'll orb him to your room."

Sighing in relief, Piper slowly approached her sister who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She looked down at Wyatt and assured him, "Auntie Phoebe's napping. She's only taking a nap." Wyatt gave Phoebe a quizzical look before burying his face in Piper's leg and she ran her fingers through his hair, "It's okay, sweetie, Mommy's here." Moving to brush a few strands of hair from Phoebe's eyes, she spoke to Cole, "I presume you remember where her room is."

Cole simply nodded before bending down to lift Phoebe into his arms. He tried to keep in mind the circumstances of their situation and ignore all the familiar sensations her body was causing him by being in his arms again. "Dammit," he whispered as he shimmered out.

"He's got that right," Piper told her sons in a quiet voice.

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Cole was still staring out Phoebe's window when he heard her call his name. He quickly went to her side and sat on the bed as she stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey, baby," she murmured sleepily, "come back to bed…cold without you…"

Cole's heart pounded with uncertainty. Clearly, she was dreaming or, as Leo warned, still dazed. Either way, she didn't know what she was saying because he was positive she would never say such things if she was fully cognizant of the situation. He stood and was about to step back from the bed when her arm snaked out from under the covers and grabbed his sleeve.

Unsure why he was acting so strangely, Phoebe tried to prop herself onto her elbows but couldn't manage it. She shook her head but everything still seemed so fuzzy, something more than from just being tired. "Cole? What's wrong with me?" But speaking took so much energy and she fell back against her pillow. "Baby?"

"You were hurt," he told her in a raspy voice, wishing he didn't see the love in her eyes, not when she didn't truly mean it. _'I need to get out of here!'_

Oblivious to his turmoil, Phoebe closed her eyes and frowned, "Just wish…so fuzzy…"

"Leo healed you," he assured her, "but you still need to rest and get your strength back."

Too tired to press the issue, she nodded weakly and tried to draw the blanket to her chin but gave up when it required more energy than she had.

Against his will, Cole helped her with the blanket but he stiffened when she smiled and managed to brush her lips against his hand before he could pull away in time. "Sleep, Phoebe," he whispered before he shimmered from the room.

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"So what exactly is it that bothers you more," Kyle asked Paige as they sat together at the kitchen table, "the fact that he's back or the fact that you saved him?"

She abruptly stood and strode to the counter to that morning's basket of leftover mini-blueberry muffins. She picked one up and had to stop herself from squishing it when she thought of Cole. He was back and there was nothing she could do. Well, she did have the vanquishing potion but could she use it if he didn't do anything to warrant it? Was she stuck waiting for him to hurt her first? And what if he didn't? What if Leo was right and he was "cured" from his insanity? She shook her head in wonder. To think she'd, once upon a time, actually liked the guy. But what he'd done to her…she couldn't let go. Why the hell did she save him?

"Paige?"

She dropped the muffin back into the basket, "I don't know." She turned spun to face him, "I don't know why I did it. I saw the demon attack and just pushed him down. I didn't think about it, I just…Dammit, why'd Leo bring him back?"

"Leo?" Kyle stood and joined her by the counter. "You said the Avatars brought Cole back, that he was the only one who could help you find Chris and fight Zankou."

Realizing her mistake, she rubbed her temples, "Look, Kyle, it's late and with both Phoebe and Leo resting, maybe you should go. I'll try to come by in a couple of hours."

But he grabbed her arms, "You know the Avatars killed my parents. I thought we were on the same side, Paige."

She wriggled free from his grip and insisted, "We are. I don't trust the Avatars or what they're offering. Utopia? It sounds too good to be true. But right now Zankou's a bigger threat and we're gonna need to be at full-fighting strength to go up against him. Please, Kyle, let us handle it."

"What about Leo?" he pointedly asked.

Paige hesitated a moment before looking him in the eyes, "Leo's an Avatar, has been for a couple of weeks now."

"And you didn't think I had a right to know?"

"Why?" she frowned. "What're you gonna do to Leo?"

"He's not gonna do anything to Leo," Piper replied instead when she entered the kitchen, "at least not while I'm around to stop him."

"I didn't mean to but it slipped out," Paige apologized.

"It's okay," Piper said before focusing on Kyle, "Leo's my husband. He's the same man he was before he became an Avatar and I'm not about to let you or anyone else harm him."

"Maybe he is," Kyle conceded. "But maybe he hasn't been one long enough to have been changed. Avatars have one agenda and -"

"That's rich," Cole interrupted when he shimmered into the room, "coming from a demon with an agenda of his own."

"What're you talking about?" Paige complained.

"The irony in the fact that you don't trust me enough to want my help," he told her, "but you trust this demon, practically a stranger, who has both the power and desire to destroy Leo."

"I'm not a demon," Kyle stated defensively as he took a step towards Cole, "and I'm not out to hurt Leo."

"You're out of your mind," Paige retorted, taking a step closer to Kyle.

"No he's not," Leo announced in a tired voice when he entered the room, "because Kyle is a demon."

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	7. chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Piper rubbed her temples in an effort to make the arguing disappear. But when it didn't, she blew up the basket of muffins and shouted, "Enough!"

Stunned into silence by the pieces of muffins splattering them, everyone stared at Piper in surprise.

With a glare, and unconcerned for the moment by the mess, she ordered everyone to take two steps back away from one another. "I don't want Phoebe or the boys to wake up and, for God's sake, Leo, sit down before you keel over." She practically dragged him by the elbow to a seat at the table while she sat next to him at the head.

Realizing her sister meant business, Paige sat opposite Leo, next to Piper. She gave an encouraging smile to Kyle who then sat at her other side.

To Piper's annoyance, Cole remained standing. "You waiting for an engraved invitation?" She pointed to the seat opposite her, at the foot of the table and next to Kyle, and ordered, "You first. Explain why you say Kyle's a demon when you don't know a thing about him."

"You do remember I can track demons…" he calmly replied as he leaned back, relishing in the return of his original senses. "Hell, he's practically reeking demon." He balled a fist when Kyle made a move towards him and was about to create an energy ball when Piper slammed her hand on the table.

"Dammit, Cole," Piper hissed as Paige restrained Kyle, "this isn't the demonic playground. Explain. Now."

"He's a Gloryhound," he muttered and folded his arms across his chest before acknowledging their skeptical expressions with a sigh. "You wouldn't be able to pronounce their real names. Suffice it to say, they are what it sounds like. Gloryhounds will relentlessly pursue a single agenda until they reach the ultimate glory."

"Which is…" Paige warily said.

"Praise and reward from the Source," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's not much in terms of lineage seeing as how Gloryhounds can't be helpful to anyone else until they've completed that one mission. And, as often is the case, they're vanquished so the point is moot. Still, I suppose, a demon's a demon."

"You're out of your mind," Kyle snapped.

"So I've been told," Cole shrugged.

"Leo?" Piper questioned, trying not to worry about his pale countenance.

"We didn't know what kind of demon but it's true," he told her as he rested his arms on the table and hunched forward. "I didn't have a chance to tell you because of what happened to Chris but the Elders sai-"

"You went to the Elders about Kyle?" Paige uttered in outrage.

Kyle placed a hand on her arm and told Leo, "Go on."

"They weren't aware of the Avatars' involvement in your parents' deaths but," he acknowledged, "given recent circumstances, the Elders believe it's more than possible. The fact is, they don't have much information at all on the Avatars which's why they're leery of them and anything they offer."

"What about him being a demon?" Paige asked. "They actually confirmed that?"

"I'm sorry, Kyle," Leo apologized, "but what Cole said about Gloryhounds fits with what the Elders uncovered. Your parents' lives, everything you knew them to be, was simply a cover."

"For what," Kyle scoffed, "some dark evil mission? My parents were normal everyday people who got caught up with the legend of the Avatars and weren't the enemy. Besides, you just admitted the Avatars are the enemy."

"No," Leo patiently disagreed, "what I said was that the Elders are leery because there's not much information available on the Avatars. They did, however, discover that, up until thirty years ago, your parents didn't exist, not really. That's why you never knew your grandparents. It's not that they'd died, it's that they'd never actually existed. Your parents had created their pasts and everyone in it."

"What about all the pictures and home movies?" Kyle asked in shock.

"Easy to manufacture," Cole replied simply.

"So their marriage and Kyle," Piper gasped, seeing Kyle in a new light, "none of it's real?"

"That's not true!" Kyle retorted. "My parents had a great marriage and they loved each other like you wouldn't believe and they loved me. They taught me about being a good person and having moral values. There's no way they were demons!"

"Gloryhounds are relentless until they've achieved their goal," Cole repeated. "Chances are your parents were in so deep they began to believe their own cover."

"To what, find a way to destroy the Avatars?" Piper thought aloud. "And if they were demons, wouldn't that automatically make the Avatars the good guys?"

"Avatars are beyond good and evil," Cole announced. "They want power to shape the world. Offering you a utopia would be a convenient way to bring you to their side but it's entirely possible they made a similar offer to the Underworld."

"No demon wants a utopia," Paige said in exasperation. "It's just one more reason proving the danger of the Avatars if they're offering to side with demons."

"I didn't say it happened," Cole clarified, "just that it was possible. I never even heard of the Avatars until they approached me and, looking back on their offer, it was probably made only because of my powers at the time."

"The Avatars believe in Utopia," Leo argued. "Following them now would mean peace for us. No more worrying over when the next demon will attack."

"Just because Phoebe had a vision," Paige said, "doesn't mean it's real. The Avatars could've planted the images in her head."

"No wonder demons would be so desperate to destroy the Avatars," Piper realized.

"Unless they weren't worried about the Avatars," Cole suggested. "There's no way the Source would've joined the Avatars even if he'd liked what he'd heard. He would never agree to answer to any other being but himself and he was certainly arrogant enough to believe he could rid the world of good and rule above all others."

"Then why'd Kyle's parents go after the Avatars?" Piper asked. "Wouldn't that be going against the Source's wishes?"

Cole shrugged, "He might not have thought of the Avatars as a real enough threat if they were coming to him for help. I'd say it was more than likely that the Gloryhounds were working on their own, thinking they would be rewarded greatly if they provided the Source with a power to hold over the Avatars."

"The Avatars are limited in power," Leo quietly admitted. "There are so few members that it's taken them all these centuries to regain their footing and approach our world again with their offer of hope. To lose another member now would -"

"What d'you mean another member?" Piper fearfully asked.

Leo reached for her hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "That's what happened before. An Avatar was killed."

"And it affected you that badly?" she nervously questioned, gripping his hand tightly.

"So it's over then," Paige declared. "It took two years for them to come back after losing him," she indicated to Cole, "so there's no way they're ready now to turn this world into a utopia." She smiled at Kyle, "Maybe your potion can weaken them further."

Piper thought her eyes would explode from their sockets as she took in her sister's almost gleeful expression, "What, Leo's nearly dying wasn't enough for you?"

"I'm not saying use the potion on Leo," Paige snapped. "But getting rid of the Avatars might just free him and he'll be back to the Elder he was before. No conflicts. Everything'll be back to normal."

"It doesn't work that way, Paige," Leo shook his head. "Their powers are a part of me now. What you do to them will affect me. And I don't think they'd be able to recover from another attack. Not for quite some time, maybe even centuries. They need your help now more than ever."

"They?" Cole pointedly asked. "Aren't you one of they? It seems to me Paige might actually be right about -"

"Whoa, did hell just freeze over?" Paige interrupted with a sarcastic smile. "Did the great all-knowing Belthazor just say a Charmed One was right?"

"I never claimed to be all-knowing," he smirked in return. "And don't let it go to your head, it might not stand the strain." He ignored her sputtering and told Leo, "Take it from Phoebe, you're going to have to choose a side and stick to it or you'll -"

"This isn't the time to rehash the past," Piper insisted, trying to ignore the bickering which, for a moment, had almost seemed like old times. Times when they'd been happy, a family even. She shook her head and got back on track, "We've got bigger problems."

Leo had spoken at the same time and glared at Cole, "I told you when I saved you why I joined them but that doesn't mean I don't want a utopia either."

"Well you certainly won't get a utopia if demons are kidnapping the Charmed Ones' babies as a diversion for killing Avatars," Cole stated.

"Zankou made his move," Piper nodded angrily, "one he's gonna regret."

"Zankou, hmmm," Cole considered, "the Source imprisoned Zankou long before I was even born. But if you're right about him being free, you'll need every available resource to vanquish him."

"Now you know why I chose you," Leo wearily told him.

"I know nothing of the sort," Cole barked before clenching his hands into fists. "I don't have the power you need to defeat Zankou." And, he thought, _"Nor do I have the power to survive another rejection by Phoebe."_

Leo disagreed, "You're exactly the power we need."

"You don't get it," Cole insisted. "I'm not invincible with all these Wasteland powers and I'm certainly not an Avatar."

"But you do have knowledge and you are clever," Piper reluctantly admitted. "And you do know your way around the Underworld."

Cole stared at her in surprise for a moment before saying, "Thanks…I think." Deciding to spare Piper by not teasing her about the smile she nearly formed, he got back to the subject of Zankou, "You know, if you really do have an Avatar vanquish, you could probably use it on Zankou instead. You have to decide, though, who's your bigger threat."

"The Avatars," Paige declared.

"Zankou," Piper stated at the same time. She glanced at her youngest sister but didn't reply to the comment.

"The Avatars want to change the world," Paige told her older sister. "Zankou's just like any other power-hungry demon. He wants to kill witches and rule the Underworld. We'll vanquish him sooner or later and won't need a one-of-kind potion to do it. We can't waste the only potion we have on him."

"Don't underestimate Zankou," Cole cautioned. "The Source didn't imprison him and forbid his release because he was like any other power-hungry demon. Make no mistake, he is that powerful and he will rid the world of the Charmed Ones."

"Unless you use the right bait for him," Kyle quietly suggested. "I'm the one with the Avatar vanquish. I could probably make him some sort of deal."

He'd been quiet for so long that Paige's head snapped back in his direction when he spoke, "What?"

"But why would Zankou need the potion if he's already killed an Avatar without it?" Piper considered.

"Because with the right kind of black magic," Cole replied, "he could alter the potion to affect more than one Avatar."

"He's right," Leo realized. "The Avatars are linked through their powers. Zankou might be able to wipe out all Avatars even if he only attacked a single one." He saw the fear in Piper's eyes and tenderly acknowledged, "Yes, even me."

"Isn't it worth a shot?" Kyle asked with a sigh. "I'm sure I'd have no trouble convincing Zankou of my intent toward the Avatars and the fact that I'm a demon would only be more proof that -"

"You don't believe that do you?" Paige interrupted. "You're not a demon, Kyle."

"I've told you what the Elders believe," Leo reminded her. "And then there's Cole's ability to sense demons…"

Kyle reached for Paige's hand, "Some of it makes sense, Paige. Their whole professional lives may have been fabricated just so my parents could research and find the vanquish for the Avatars. I might not've been anything more than a convenient extension of their cover."

"You can't believe that!" she sharply told him. "Why would they need to hide out as mortals if they were demons? And why wouldn't they've used their powers to protect themselves? No, Kyle, your parents were good people. You went into law enforcement because of them. Don't let anyone else convince you otherwise."

"Maybe they weren't powerful enough to stop the Avatars. They were taken by surprise that night. And haven't I been relentless myself?" he countered with a wry smile. "All my adult life I was trying to find proof that magic existed just so I could find the Avatars and make them pay for killing my parents. Everything I put you and your sisters through, blackmailing you, just put me one step closer to achieving my goal. Maybe I am some sort of latent Gloryhound."

"We all obsess at times," she argued. "Ask Piper, ask Phoebe. But it doesn't make us Gloryhounds."

"What about the fact that Kyle can touch the Book?" Piper reminded everyone. "Or the fact that Wyatt hasn't once put up his shield in front of Kyle?"

Pleased by her sister's sudden acknowledgement of Kyle's goodness, Paige smiled, "See?"

"The Book senses evil intent and if he didn't know…Besides," Cole thought aloud, "his parents probably bound his powers at birth and Wyatt's too young to sense it."

Leo nodded, "I know this is hard to accept, Kyle, and learning about your heritage probably won't change who you are, but it is the truth. You are a Gloryhound."

"I imagine there's a way to unbind your powers," Cole said. "I could go down to -"

"No!" Piper practically shouted. "No going down there. I don't want anyone finding out that you're back. Right now you're our ace-in-the-hole."

"Good to know that pink potion won't be used," he remarked, referring to the vanquish Paige had prepared.

"Not yet," Paige muttered loud enough for him to hear.

"Maybe the Book has an entry," Leo suggested, hoping to diffuse a potential blow-up between the witches and Cole, "Gloryhounds have been around for centuries." Only for brief, almost unconscious, moments, had the girls displayed any weakening in their grudges towards Cole but it wasn't enough. They were going to have to find a new way to accept Cole's return, at least for the moment, and work together to defeat the threat they were facing.

Piper reluctantly turned from Cole and focused on her sister, "There might be something in Magic School, maybe you should check it out."

"I don't believe this," Paige grumbled. "Kyle's good. He's not some demon."

"Maybe you should check it out," Kyle told her when he suddenly stood and exited the kitchen. "I need some air anyway."

"Kyle, wait…" After exchanging a quick glance with her older sister, Paige hurried after Kyle.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Piper asked her husband.

"Kyle's a good man," Leo said, "but this will be hard. It's not like we can call his parents' spirits and ask them for the truth or give him peace."

"Why not?" Cole asked. "Even if they were undercover, if they were as good as you said for thirty years, wouldn't that leave some resonance of their spirit somewhere?"

"The Wasteland?"

Cole shook his head at Piper's suggestion, "They're not there, believe me."

"Just give him time," Leo said as he wearily rose.

"What if we don't have time?" Piper asked. "What if it comes down to Kyle making a choice?"

"Then you'd better pray he's as good as you believe," Cole cautioned, "or he could very well be the key to destroying all that's good."

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	8. chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Paige stood on the porch, touching her lips where Kyle had just placed a light kiss, while she watched his car peel out of the driveway and race down the street. He'd promised to call her and check in later but she was still worried about what he might do. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling now. At least finding her sisters hadn't meant that her whole life had been a lie. With a sigh, she went back inside and closed the door behind her only to find Piper coming her way. "I'm really not in the mood, Piper."

"We have to talk about it," Piper said. "We have to consider what we know about Kyle now and how the Avatars fit in."

"We know," Paige defiantly stated, "that Kyle is a good person and we know that the Avatars killed his parents and we know that even the Elders don't trust the Avatars and, we know that because we were distracted by the Avatars, Phoebe and Chris were nearly killed today. And we know that thanks to the Avatars we've now gotta deal with good old Belthazor, too. You and I both know we're not gonna agree on what to do next so what, exactly, do you still wanna talk about?"

Piper sighed sympathetically and drew Paige close, relieved when Paige returned the hug. "We have to stick together, Paige. We have some decisions to make that will affect our family and the magical world. And, like it or not, one of them involves Kyle. He's a demon, Paige."

"I know," Paige eventually acknowledged in a soft tone. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"What is?" Piper asked as she pulled back slightly.

Paige chuckled sadly, "That now I really get what it was like for Phoebe."

Suddenly Piper understood Paige's outbursts where Kyle was concerned. "Maybe Kyle won't become like Cole. He did spend his whole life being good."

"But he's a full demon," Paige's shoulders slumped with dejection. "At least Cole was half-human and could make the attempt to be good." She shook her head as tears stung her eyes, "It's over, Piper. Even if it's for a good reason, Kyle's gonna want those powers but he won't be able to handle them. Cole couldn't and he'd been a demon his whole life." She wiped away a tear from her cheek and continued, "The powers'll corrupt Kyle and we'll be forced to vanquish him if Zankou or the Avatars don't kill him first. Phoebe'll probably laugh her head off."

"She won't," Piper chastised, "and you know it."

Paige merely shrugged, "She kept warning me about Kyle, all her instincts…I didn't want to believe…"

Both sisters jumped when the doorbell rang and Paige quickly composed herself before her sister answered it. "Elise, what're you doing here?"

The editor of the Bay Mirror threw her hands up in exasperation and admitted, "I've got no idea. It's not like I make a habit of paying personal visits to my columnists after they've disappeared in the middle of the day." She then shoved a handbag at Paige and continued without letting Paige get in a word, "Don't bother, I'm sure it was a family emergency. There's always an emergency with this family. She left that out on her desk and you might want to tell her that I also saved the column that she left onscr-"

"Elise?"

Piper spun to find Phoebe practically clinging to the wall of the landing. "You," she admonished as she darted towards her younger sister, "shouldn't be out of bed!"

"What's wrong?" Elise asked in concern when she saw how Phoebe nearly sagged into Piper's arms. "You seemed fine this morning. Have you seen a doctor?"

"Um, yeah," Paige quickly said as she set Phoebe's bag down on the console table, "that's why we sort of flew out of the office."

"Sorry," Phoebe weakly apologized, "there wasn't time to tell you, anyone…happened without warning."

Elise waved away the apology, "What'd the doctor say?"

Piper answered before Phoebe could, "It's a bug and she needs to stay in bed." She nudged Phoebe back up a step, "Can you manage back up by yourself?"

"I got down by myself," Phoebe snapped and flushed with annoyance at both her sister for the implication and herself for realizing her sister was right. The room wouldn't stop spinning and she wasn't sure her legs would hold her up much longer.

"Listen to your sister," Elise ordered, "and go back to bed. You look like hell."

Piper smiled gratefully to Elise before telling Phoebe, "You haven't eaten a thing since breakfast so get back in bed and I'll bring you some soup."

"Sounds like a good idea," Elise agreed. "Call me tomorrow and we'll talk about your working from home if you're up to it. At least I've already gotten about a week's worth of extra columns to play with. Now you - Oh my God," she gasped when she spotted Cole enter the hallway.

"Elise," he greeted with a nod.

Elise glanced from him to Phoebe, "You said he was dead."

"I got better," he shrugged, mentally acknowledging the ironic truth to that statement. He was better. Or at least he was thinking better, more clearly.

Elise glared at him and poked him in the chest with her index finger, "Well I don't care. It's taken Phoebe a long time to get her life back on track and I don't want you messing with her head. You stay away from her."

Touched by Elise's continued support, Phoebe assured her friend, "Trust me, Cole isn't the problem right now. All I need is some rest and I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Encouraged by Phoebe's slight smile, Elise sternly said, "We will talk tomorrow."

"Thanks, Elise," Phoebe told her, "for everything."

Elise acknowledged her sincerity with a simple pat on her arm, "Get some rest, Phoebe." Before she turned to leave, she warned Cole, "I mean it…You don't want to mess with me, Mr. Turner."

Obviously the two had developed a closer relationship than what he was familiar with and Cole couldn't help but grin at the protectiveness Phoebe's boss displayed, "Don't you just love a challenge?"

No sooner had Elise harrumphed and stormed out than her sisters began with their demands and Phoebe, without thinking, turned to Cole for support. But, to her annoyance, he'd actually agreed with her sisters and had the nerve to declare her unreasonably pig-headed for having attempted to leave her bed without calling for help first. "I'm okay," she muttered as she jerked herself free from Piper's grip, "I'm not some baby."

"Then stop acting like one," Piper snapped. "Leo doesn't have the strength to heal you if you hurt yourself because you're too stubborn to stay in bed."

"What's wrong with Leo?" Phoebe asked in shock.

"Long story," Paige answered as Phoebe took a few steps towards the living room.

"And we have a lot to talk about," Piper sighed as she realized Phoebe didn't know about Kyle either.

Phoebe paused in front of Cole and was about to speak but she shook her head instead. She'd obviously been dreaming. No sense in asking him about it. After everything they'd put him through, there's no way it could've been anything but a dream. But his voice echoed in her head and she lightly shook it again as if to clear the words from it, _'I love you, Phoebe…'_

Cole glanced at her sisters in concern when Phoebe seemed dazed. "Phoebe?" He caught her just as her knees buckled.

"Maybe I should lie down," she quietly conceded even as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She shut her eyes and leaned in closer but she didn't know if it was more to stop the dizziness or more because it felt so unexpectedly good to be held by him again.

By the time he'd shimmered to her room and set her on her bed only moments later, Phoebe was asleep. He tugged on the comforter and drew it over her and, when she murmured unintelligibly and snuggled under the cover, he resisted the urge to smile. He'd always loved watching her sleep. She'd been young enough for him as it was but, in her sleep, she somehow recaptured the innocence of childhood she'd long since lost and, given his own upbringing, he'd found it refreshing to see and somehow share. Just as he was about to finger some of her dark locks, Paige and Piper entered the room and he immediately stepped back, "She's only asleep."

"It was too close," Piper whispered before gratefully feeling her youngest sister's encouraging hand squeeze.

Again, Paige gently squeezed her sister's hand, "But we didn't lose her."

Cole simply nodded but, before they could accuse him of anything or warn him once again, he shimmered away without a word.

As they crept closer to Phoebe, Paige asked, "What was that all about?"

Piper tenderly swept some hair off Phoebe's face and replied, "She's asleep so there's nothing for him to do here."

Paige looked skeptically at her older sister, "Unusual for Cole, wouldn't you say? It's the perfect opportunity for him to be with her because she can't send him away but he leaves without a word?"

Piper carefully sat on the edge of the bed, "Could be he's afraid…"

"Cole, afraid?" Paige snorted. "Not likely."

"Paige…"

Paige watched her sisters and finally sighed, "All right, so maybe he's not the big bad wolf right now. But do you really think it's a good thing that he's back? What if the cycle starts all over again?"

"They need to talk," Piper said, "and until they do, until come to terms with what happened to them, we've gotta give them their space."

"Easier said than done," Paige whispered. "I can't forget what he did to me. He targeted me, Piper, me."

"And he attacked me when I was pregnant," Piper nodded sympathetically. "Maybe Phoebe's not the only one who needs to find closure with him."

"Maybe," Paige considered. "But what if…" Paige couldn't complete her thought because she wasn't ready to accept the possibility that Phoebe would want Cole back. Closure was something she could understand but for Phoebe to want to start over again? Maybe Piper was right, maybe Phoebe wasn't the only one who needed to confront Cole. And maybe he did seem a bit more clear-headed now and they'd be able to have a reasonable conversation but what then? Would he leave, this time, on his own if they asked? Would they have to force him?

Piper looked at her youngest sister and could almost hear Paige's thoughts. The same thoughts she'd had since Cole's return. Did Phoebe simply want closure or did she want Cole back? Phoebe'd never been the same since he'd been gone and none of her relationships had lasted. Phoebe'd never admitted it but Piper suspected that no man would ever truly measure up to Cole, no matter how bad things had gotten with him. Piper sighed, "Cole's everything she ever wanted in a man."

"Yeah, yeah, tall, dark, and handsome," Paige distractedly mumbled.

But Piper shook her head, "It's more than that. Not long after we got our powers, Phoebe and I did a spell to find the man of our dreams and -"

"Oh ho," Paige smirked, "so all that talk about personal gain…"

Piper stuck out her tongue, "At least you had us to warn you about consequences. The point is, we had to write down exactly what we were looking for in a man and, I'm telling you, Cole fits the bill. I don't even know if Phoebe ever made the connection. I certainly didn't until just now."

Paige's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, "So you're telling me that Cole's appearance in our lives was all because of a delayed reaction to a spell Phoebe performed?"

"Of course not," Piper immediately replied. "At least I don't think so. Does it matter? We can't change the past and Cole's definitely a part of it." Which brought her back to her original thoughts about the demon. Would he ever be able to remain good? Or was he really a lost cause? And would Phoebe put them all at risk again trying to find out?

Paige's thoughts of Cole turned to Kyle. What if he received his powers, what if he became the demon he was? _'Could I fight for him like Phoebe fought for Cole? Would I put us all at risk to save him?'_ She gazed down at Phoebe and understood even more what Phoebe had been through. "I have to see Kyle," she suddenly stated.

Piper nodded, stood, and gave her sister a peck on the cheek, "Good luck, sweetie, and remember we're with you, whatever happens…"

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	9. chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Cole leaned forward from the edge of the sofa, elbows on his knees, as he stared into the flames of the fire. He glanced at his watch. Phoebe'd been asleep now for a couple of hours and he still resisted the urge to wake her. Leo hadn't been able to completely heal her and she'd come so close to dying, how could he deny her the rest she desperately needed? Looking down into his open palm, he created a tiny energy ball and stared at, still unable to believe he had his powers back, not those he'd absorbed in the Wasteland. With a simple thought, he dissipated the energy ball and smiled grimly. He could feel the evil churning inside. Being whole meant he'd, once again, have to summon the daily strength necessary to suppress Belthazor if he wanted to be good. _'But is it worth the price?'_

Piper stood in the doorway, carrying the basket of laundry, and watched the demon. _'Half-demon,' _she corrected herself. Did it matter? Belthazor was back along with all the risks he brought. She watched Cole form another tiny energy ball and stare at it. She couldn't deny he'd helped them today. Not that she would've given him much choice but at least he'd seemed sincere about offering his help. _'So what now?' _Cole seemed different even with Belthazor's return. He'd kept his distance from them, even Phoebe, and basically only contributed when asked his opinion. So if Leo was right and Cole was no longer insane, could they accept his return? Would he succeed this time at being good? Would he even want to try? Or was it better to avoid the inevitable tragedies he'd bring by vanquishing him first? He hadn't seemed crazy about Leo's bringing him back and even encouraged Paige to make the potion so maybe he wanted to be vanquished. Maybe he was just as afraid of what would happen next. Maybe they'd all suffered enough. _'God, Phoebe, why'd you have to fall for a demon?'_

Cole created and dissipated another energy ball before he suddenly stood. He hated waiting. He'd always hated waiting. He'd promised to help with Zankou and the Avatars and he aimed to keep that promise but did he have to wait here until something happened? Couldn't he find a place somewhere and let them call him when they needed him? Maybe they'd even change their minds about that. Maybe they'd want nothing to do with him. Was it worth the aggravation? He folded his arms across his chest and frowned acknowledging the real reason he wasn't going anywhere: Phoebe. Until he was sure she was fully recovered from the attack, he couldn't leave. They needed to talk and maybe even find some closure. With a sigh, he sat down again and wondered what came next. After Zankou, what fate awaited him? San Francisco was his home. No matter where he'd traveled over the years, he'd always come back here. Good or not, could he stay in the city and lead his own life apart from her? Would she even let him? Or was another vanquish looming on the horizon?

When she saw him grip the arm of the sofa, images of a pile of ashes flashed in her mind and Piper warily asked, "Something wrong?"

Cole spun in his seat, an energy ball ready in his hand, and practically growled, "Come to vanquish me?" Truth was, he was angrier with himself for having been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard her approach.

"With laundry?" she retorted before she smiled. "Not that a vanquish wouldn't be a bad alternative. You've no idea how messy Chris can be for such a little guy. Seems like I'm always doing laundry."

He wasn't in the mood for chitchat and turned back to the fire, "Thought you were going to the club."

She nodded, "In a while. With Paige out and everyone else asleep or resting, I figured it'd be a good time to put in a load." She set down the basket and came closer, "Strange, huh…" He stared at her but didn't say a word. "You being back, I mean. Two years to catch up on, not to mention getting used to, well, you know…"

"It's like finding myself again," he quietly replied.

Suddenly uncomfortable, she questioned, "What are you going to do?"

He looked at her, "I told you I would help you fight Zankou."

She glared at him, "I meant Phoebe and you know it."

"Phoebe's always called the shots," he shrugged. _'But this time I'll listen,'_ he promised himself, _'even if it means leaving her for good.'_

When he fell silent again, Piper picked up the basket but, before she left, turned back to him, "We've all been hurt, Cole. Don't let her make another mistake."

Cole turned around but Piper was already gone and, for some reason, he didn't go after her. Had she included him in that statement about being hurt? And what would be a mistake, for Phoebe to send him away or for her to want him back? Resting his head against the back of the couch, he bounced an energy ball in his hand and returned his gaze to the flames.

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Still feeling a bit wobbly, Phoebe leaned against the doorjamb to rest. Her breath caught in her throat when she spotted Cole sprawled asleep on the sofa. She approached carefully, hoping not to wake him. Sitting on the very edge of the coffee table she simply watched him, praying he was as peaceful as he seemed. _'You've been through so much, you deserve a little peace.'_ It took everything she had not to reach out and caress his cheek but she wasn't ready yet to face him. So many words she'd kept buried since Paige told her about his death that she hadn't quite sorted out in the brief time since his return.

Sighing inwardly, she stood but quickly steadied herself when the room spun. She hadn't had a chance to ask but the attack at P3 must've been pretty bad if, after all this time, she still hadn't completely recovered. Piper had mentioned something about soup and she'd come down to warm up a bowl but, now that she'd seen him, she couldn't quite get her feet to move. How could she have forgotten how stunningly gorgeous he was? The blanket on the end chair caught her eye and she quietly retrieved it. She held her breath as she carefully leaned over him and covered him with it. She'd nearly said his name when he stirred and she froze when his fingers brushed against hers. But when nothing further happened, Phoebe quickly stepped back and practically ran from the room.

When the footsteps faded, Cole slowly opened his eyes. Once assured he was alone, he sat up and rubbed his chin. If she wasn't ready to talk, he wouldn't force her. He was determined to do things differently this time by giving her the space she needed. But he hadn't been able to resist the opportunity to touch her and he'd felt her fear. Was she afraid of him, of Belthazor, and what he could do? _'No,'_ he shook his head, _'Phoebe was never afraid of me.' _Furious, horrified, apathetic even, but never afraid. _'Maybe she still cares. Maybe she's afraid of how I might react. Or, more likely, of how her sisters'll react.'_ But he clenched the blanket until he squelched the hope. Until he heard the words from her lips, he'd never dare believe in the possibility of their relationship.

He stood and began to pace before he realized that Phoebe might hear. He stopped and glanced at his watch and couldn't help but rub his eyes when he discovered it was two in the morning. He'd never get back to sleep now. Maybe he should get away from the manor and let her be for a while. Zankou wasn't likely to make another move yet and they both needed more time. _'To hell with it,'_ he decided before he shimmered into the kitchen.

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For a good two minutes, Cole watched silently as Phoebe stared into the pot lost in thought. She probably still wasn't recovered or she'd surely have sensed his shimmer and his presence. "Don't you know a watched pot never boils?"

Phoebe jumped back and gasped, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry…"

She glared at him, "No you're not." He shrugged but she couldn't find the strength to retort. She watched him a moment before she returned to stirring the soup. "Thought I was alone," she apologized. "Guess I woke you but I didn't mean to but I saw you lying there on my way to the kitchen and thought you'd like the blanket since you know it gets pretty chilly down here 'specially now that it's practically December and you never much liked the cold which's totally understandable seeing as you grew up in, well, rather warm places and I really didn't mean to wake y-"

"Phoebe," he interrupted as he approached, "it's okay. Thanks for the blanket."

She'd been rambling and felt the blush spreading across her cheeks so she looked down into the pot and stirred the soup more vigorously. Cole was in the kitchen with her and there was no one else around. He seemed different, more at ease, but she couldn't look in his direction. Obviously her sisters hadn't vanquished him but she was a mess, starving, and had no clue as to what she'd missed while she'd slept. And, as her mind whirled with mixed thoughts of how to talk to him, she continued stirring the soup and watched the vegetables move in circles as she moved the spoon until they blurred her vision and all she saw were images of him cooking with her in happier times. Suddenly, his hand was on hers and she stared up at him in surprise.

"Keep stirring and there'll be nothing left in the pot," he teased before gently nudging her from the stove. "Sit down and let me finish this."

"I didn't realize…Look, it's late, why don't you go back to sleep," she nervously suggested.

"Please," he simply said.

It wasn't so much the way he said it but the way his eyes pleaded. Phoebe knew it wasn't an effort to make up for any wrongdoings but simply something he wanted to do for her. _'It's only a bowl of soup,'_ she told herself before she nodded and moved to a seat at the table.

Cole silently poured some more soup from the container into the pot and switched the pot to a different burner. He knew she was watching him but still said nothing as he proceeded to clean the mess she'd made. As he wiped away the spilled soup and vegetables, he asked, "Why couldn't you levitate?"

"It's complicated," she replied as she nervously began to tear her paper napkin. "Why didn't you tell me the Avatars approached you and made you one of them?"

"It's complicated."

She nearly smiled, "Guess I deserved that." He didn't answer and she watched him finish wiping down the stove. She returned to her napkin and sighed, "My powers were taken away by the Elders."

Cole froze, "What?"

She shrugged and tore off a thin strip, "I'd gone on a bit of a power trip, using them for all the wrong reasons." She paused and looked at him, "Guess you could say I was a bit obsessed."

The soup had begun to boil and he quickly shut off the flame. "That doesn't make sense," he said as he poured some of the soup into the bowl she'd already prepared.

"That they were taken away or that I'd been obsessed?" she wondered. She leaned back as he set down the bowl in front of her. "Want some?"

"I ate earlier," he declined. When she began to quietly eat her soup, he decided to leave the room and had reached the doorway when she called him.

"Keep me company?" she shyly requested. Some of the knots in her stomach tightened when he sat next to her while other knots came undone. She blew on another spoonful and swallowed before telling him, "I'd lost myself, forgotten who I was, and was careless. So, as punishment, my powers were taken until I prove myself worthy of them."

"That's ridiculous," he exclaimed.

"What's done is done," she sighed, "and I'm okay with it now. It wasn't easy at first but I learned to adapt and knowing I'll get them back helps. Those powers are a part of me, a part I don't want to lose again, and I, oh…"

"What?" he asked when she stopped speaking. But then he understood what she'd realized, "It's not the same thing."

"Isn't it?" She placed her spoon in the bowl and took a sip from the water she'd poured for herself earlier. "I thought I'd understood what happened when Belthazor'd been stripped but I guess I didn't. I mean if I needed a sabbatical, it's no wonder you needed to go off on your own…"

"It's not the same," he repeated. "Like you said, I needed to adapt and that's not something you could do for me. And that's not even the point. Belthazor was evil but you're a good witch, Phoebe, and to lose your powers…"

"It's not just the powers," she clarified, "it's a part of myself. A part that makes me the person I am. I'm not the same woman you remember, Cole, which was, what, a week ago?"

"Actually," he hesitated, "just a few minutes ago when you threw the vanquishing potion at me."

"That wasn't me," she defended herself even though he hadn't accused her. "It was some version of me that had lived through a different set of circumstances…Paige told me what our marriage was like."

"Not what I'd expected," he quietly admitted. "I hadn't anticipated that Paige would've been killed before meeting you."

"Paige wasn't too crazy 'bout that part either," she commented before eating some more soup.

He nearly smiled but declared, "It wasn't what I'd wanted."

"I know," she acknowledged as she put her spoon down in her bowl.

"All I wanted was for us to be happy," he insisted. "I never wanted to hurt you…or your sisters."

"I know that too," she said as she turned to face him and hesitantly touched his arm, "but you did and it changed me. It changed how I looked at myself and others, how I viewed magic, and it took losing my powers to make me see what it was I wanted. And now that I'm starting to get them back, I -"

"But you can't levitate," he interrupted.

"I started with premonitions just like when I first got my powers," she smiled. "Nowhere near as advanced as before I lost them but it's a start."

"Should progress faster than the first time," he mused.

She nodded and returned to her bowl of soup. After a few quiet minutes, she said, "P3 was pretty bad, I guess."

"Leo healed you as best he could," he told her, trying not to picture her bloody and broken body.

"Piper said something about him not being strong," she worried as she stopped eating. "Was he attacked to?"

"Not in the way you think," Cole assured her. "Your nephew's kidnapping was a distraction, something to keep you occupied while -"

"Zankou attacked Leo?"

Pleased she was obviously thinking more clearly, he clarified, "He killed an Avatar and Leo felt it, as I'm sure did all the remaining Avatars."

"Zankou's an Avatar now?" She pushed her chair back and struggled to get to her feet and even though he'd quickly restrained her, shefelt like hyperventilating, "You said Zankou absorbs powers and -"

"It's not the same as being an Avatar," Cole assured her.

"But there's gotta be something in the Book we can -"

"The only thing is the Avatar vanquish," he calmly interrupted, "and right now, Kyle's the one who has it."

Phoebe practically sank back in her seat, "Great, just great…"

He looked at her in surprise, "You don't like him?"

"I've tried," she told him, "but the way he came into our lives, practically forcing us to help him…He drugged Darryl's colleague and kept her locked away in a sanitarium. And maybe he only wanted to find a way to get the Avatars but I can't trust him like Paige does. I want to, 'specially for her sake, but I can't."

"You think he's a demon using you the same way I did?" he asked, unsure if he actually wanted an answer.

"I hope not," she whispered. "Is there some stamp on our foreheads inviting demons to come into our lives and gain our trust so they can wreak havoc on us?" She shook her head in apology when she saw his stung expression, "I shouldn't've brought it up. I really had left that part in the past. And I know that being the Charmed Ones mean the demons have to be trickier when they come after us but sometimes…"

"You're right," he simply announced. "Kyle's a demon."

The room began to spin and she brought a hand to her temple.

Cole quickly steadied her and stared intently at her until she seemed to focus on him. "Maybe you should lie down again."

"I thought I heard…You're wrong, Kyle can't be a demon…" she uttered.

"It's a long story," he said as he slowly removed his hands from her and sat back in his seat, "but it's true. Leo confirmed that Kyle's a demon. A Gloryhound that -"

"Guess that explains why he's obsessed with the Avatars," she murmured.

He looked at her in surprise, "You know what a Gloryhound is?"

She shrugged, "You know I've studied the Book. Besides, the Seer told me that she'd just had a request fr-"

"The Seer," he worried. "I thought she was vanquished."

Phoebe suddenly realized his confusion, "That Seer was. I'm talking about the new one. Kira said she was an oracle before she was, how'd she put it…promoted."

"Kira? I haven't seen her in, well, a long time." He caught the look in her eyes and was mildly amused by the jealousy he was positive she didn't even realize was there. "She was cute but a bit too bubbly for me. She had this thing about grass," he chuckled, "always wanting me to bring her back a handful so she could walk on it. So, she's the seer now…Gonna be a lot more interesting with her around. Maybe I'll pay her a visit when it's - what's wrong?"

"Zankou killed her," she sadly informed him and she saw the anger smoldering in his eyes. "She wanted to switch sides and Leo brought her to us for protection. It's how this whole thing got started, you know."

"Explain," was all he could say.

"One of the ways she tried to prove herself was to give me a vision," she wistfully recalled, "and it confirmed that I'd…It showed me a peaceful future because of the Avatars. I spent time with her, Cole, and she was ready to give up everything to become human, even knowing she wouldn't have a soul." She stared into her bowl and tearfully added, "She was so close…"

"But Zankou got to her first," he realized.

"I know she was evil but I connected with her," Phoebe continued as she wiped her eyes, "on so many levels."

"She wasn't evil," he corrected. "Her power was to see the future and that's what she did."

"I thought we could've been friends," Phoebe told him as she pushed away her bowl, her appetite now gone.

"She probably thought the same thing," he consoled her. She didn't respond and he insisted, "You need to finish the soup."

She nodded but burst into tears, "Why does magic have to be so evil?"

Cole cautiously reached out and, when she willingly went into his arms, he wrapped his arms around her. "It's not the magic, Phoebe, but the beings who wield it." He stroked her hair and her back, "Every day, there are people, mortal humans, doing evil things without the use of magic."

"It's not fair," she sniffled.

"No," he agreed, "but life's not supposed to be fair."

She felt his lips brush against the top of her head and snuggled closer to him.

The way they sat was a bit uncomfortable but Cole allowed himself to smile when she nuzzled his chest and wrapped her hands around his waist. "I missed this," he admitted.

She couldn't help but release a combined chuckle and sniffle, "What, picking up the pieces every time I fall apart?"

"That too," he laughed. She only hugged him tighter and he said, more seriously, "I missed talking to you."

"I missed it too," she whispered, recalling her earlier conversation with her sister. "I didn't have to hide anything from you. You knew me so it was easy to talk…"

"I'm sorry I didn't give you space," he suddenly said.

She nuzzled him again and confessed, "I'm sorry I wasn't more patient. I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding." She pulled back and gazed into his surprised eyes and caressed his cheek, "I'm sorry I lost faith."

"You didn't," he shook his head. "You told me the truth, that you loved me but that we had no future. But I wasn't ready to accept it and, well, you know how that turned out. I became an Avatar so I could change the world to one where you'd still love me. It's the only reason but not a very wise one."

"Oh, Cole," she sniffled, "I never stopped loving you but I couldn't see any other way to be with you."

"We both made a mess of things, didn't we?" he commented as he framed her face with his hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "We had it all and let it slip away."

Phoebe placed her hands on his and leaned in, "Sometimes, late at night, when I can't sleep, even now, I'll find myself wishing…"

Cole leaned in closer too and, when she tilted her head up and closed her eyes, he had every intention of following through with a slow, sweet kiss.

"He's gone!"

Startled, both Cole and Phoebe broke apart and turned to find Paige standing in the kitchen wearing nothing but a man's dress shirt.

"He's gone," she tearfully repeated, oblivious to what she'd interrupted, "Kyle's gone."

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	10. chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Calm down, Paige," Phoebe suggested as she hurried from her spot next to Cole to her sister. "Tell us what happened."

But Paige was too agitated and stepped out of reach, "Kyle's gone and I can't find him. I tried scrying but he's not anywhere."

"You weren't centered," Phoebe calmly told her. "You need to take a couple of deep breaths and -"

"We don't have time!" Paige practically pleaded.

"He went after Zankou," Cole realized as Phoebe hugged Paige tightly.

Paige nodded tearfully but pulled away slightly to look at her sister, "When you weren't in your room…"

"Why didn't you go to Piper?" Cole frowned. "Phoebe's been through too much to go chasing after your demonic boyfriend in the middle of the night."

Phoebe felt Paige stiffen and glared at her ex, "Cole…"

"He's right," Paige hiccupped as she stepped back, "I didn't think. As soon as I read his note, I orbed to the attic and then to your room and -"

"He left a note?"

"I don't think he planned on me finding it until the morning," Paige answered her sister. "All it said was that he was sorry but that I should trust him."

"So instead of trusting the man you keep saying is good, you ran straight to Phoebe who nearly died today," Cole lashed out, completely unsuccessful at reigning in his temper. "You didn't -"

"That's enough, Cole!"

"No, Phoebe," Paige quietly said, "he's right. I panicked and didn't think about -"

"You never think," Cole interjected, "none of you. That's why you're always -"

"Don't test me…" Phoebe warned him again. "It's okay, sweetie," she told Paige, "I woke up and came down for some soup."

"Are you really okay?" Paige asked guiltily after Cole shot her a warning look of his own. "Maybe I should wake Piper and work with her on this. You need to rest."

"Just 'cuz I feel like I've gone ten rounds with the Source, doesn't mean I'm not up for vanquishing him," she teased before turning slightly to Cole, "uh, no offense." The edges of his mouth twitched but instead of waiting to see if he smiled, she focused on Paige, "I'm better, honest. Now are you sure Kyle went after Zankou? Maybe he just needed to get out and clear his head."

"At two in the morning?" Paige sighed, "It was one of the things we talked, argued, about before but I thought he finally agreed and saw it my way."

Phoebe looked at Cole, "Kyle has no idea what he's in for…"

"What's done is done, Phoebe," he said. "It's not -"

"Wait a minute," Paige interrupted, "you know?"

Phoebe nodded, "Cole told me Kyle's a Gloryhound. I'm sorry, sweetie."

"It doesn't mean he has to embrace that side," Paige complained. "I tried to make him see that he can still help us without ever getting his powers. He doesn't need them."

"Except that he won't be complete without them," Phoebe commented.

"It didn't bother him 'til now, did it? It takes more than powers to make a person," Paige declared. "He's a good person who's spent his whole life fighting evil and he'll stay that way."

Cole didn't acknowledge her dig at him. "All you can hope for now is that he doesn't betray you or Leo."

"He would never do that!"

"Maybe not willingly," he informed Paige, "but it can still happen. Just ask your sisters."

"We're not talking about you," she hissed.

"Funny," he murmured, "I thought we were." He was about to say more but the expression on Phoebe's face warned that he was treading on even thinner ice so he merely said, "It's Kyle's choice and you've no right to take it away from him."

"He'll be sacrificing everything he believes in," Paige cried, glancing from him to her sister. "He'll be sacrificing himself. Phoebe, please…"

But Phoebe gazed into Cole's eyes and accepted the truth. Sometimes the only option left is to offer oneself as sacrifice. _'Oh, Cole, I wish I'd realized sooner…'_

From the look in her eyes, Cole realized she'd had some sort of epiphany and he could practically feel her regret. But regret for what? _'The Hollow,'_ he almost said aloud. "There was no other way," he assuaged her guilt, "and, knowing how it all turned out, I'd still make the same choice."

"I know," she whispered. "But…I wish you'd never been put in that position and I'm sorry…"

"It was my choice," he repeated. "My choice and I'm sorry you had to suffer the consequences."

Paige finally figured out what they were talking about and gasped, "I don't want to lose Kyle to evil! We have to save him!"

Phoebe slowly met Paige's anxious eyes, "Kyle's doing it for the right reasons, Paige, but it's his choice, his sacrifice to make. We just have to pray it's not in vain."

"But…"

"C'mon, sweetie," Phoebe said, tugging on Paige's sleeve, "let's wake Piper and fill her in so we can figure out what to do next."

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"I must say I am surprised," Zankou admitted as he circled Kyle in the dimly lit cavern. "You do realize you'll be sacrificing the life you led, one filled with light and good, to embrace a new life, one filled with darkness and evil."

"I thought you wanted this," Kyle watched him in confusion. "Isn't that why you answered my call so quickly? So why're you trying to talk me out of this?"

"You misunderstand, Agent Brody," Zankou laughed, "I'm merely pointing out that which you should be made fully aware. There isn't to be any question, any doubt, raised later as to your understanding of what is about to transpire. There will be consequences to this…rite of passage, if you will."

"I'm ready," Kyle nodded.

Zankou paused a moment before continuing, "Your physical transformation will be the easy part. The rest of your life, however, the acceptance of your true self, will be a difficult road to walk. Not only do you have to unlearn everything you've come to know about the ways of life but you also face the limitations of your own kind. Some demons, particularly Gloryhounds, who possess the inability to, shall we say, multi-task, often lead relatively short life-spans. Your parents, for example, lived a mere fraction of the span of other demons."

"Everybody dies, even demons," Kyle shrugged, trying to strengthen his resolve. "The question is what you do with your time on Earth. I have certain goals and I intend to fulfill them."

Zankou nodded with satisfaction, "You will be assigned a mentor, of course, and trained, tested, and the like, before you set foot above ground again."

Alarmed by the revelation, Kyle still demanded, "What about the Avatars?"

"They will be destroyed with your potion," Zankou assured him. "Or at least they'll be weakened to the point of no longer being a threat. Don't look so afraid, your assistance will be rewarded."

"I'm not afraid of that," Kyle boldly stated. "I'm not afraid of any of this."

"Good," Zankou smiled at the lie. "I like you, you show initiative and courage. However, I will not be swayed by human emotion and will show you no preferential treatment. You'll provide me with the potion and then you will immediately begin training." He circled Kyle again and saw the determination in Kyle's eyes and, again, admitted surprise, "You weren't expecting to survive, were you? That's why you're not afraid. You believe you'll die in the attack anyway." His comment was met with silence and he continued, "Do the Charmed Ones inspire that much loyalty that you would willingly martyr yourself for them? From what I understand, they're rather, hmmm, how delicately can I put this? They're uninformed, selfish, spoiled, destructive, and bitchy witches. Truth be told, they'd make perfect demons. Do not mistake their motives, Kyle. The witches are at a crossroads, unsure which way to turn, and they won't hesitate to use you much the same as you are now using me. They want the vanquish and will not -"

"Can we just get on with this?" Kyle hotly interrupted. "This's my choice. Not theirs. And I'll deal with them in my own way."

"Unless they deal with you first," Zankou commented. When the young man remained silent, Zankou nodded, "Very well, a deal's a deal. Come, let's get ready."

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"I don't like this," Leo protested. "I shouldn't be consulting with the Elders. I should go with you."

"Number one, you're still not recovered completely and, number two, Kyle didn't leave us much choice," Piper told him. "We can't let Zankou have the Avatar vanquish."

"We can't let Kyle become a demon," Paige corrected, dismayed at the different priorities she and her sisters seemed to have at the moment.

"He's already a demon," Cole reminded her. "You can't change that fact and you can't protect him from it."

"Cole's right," Phoebe gently said to her sister. "Whether the Avatars are a real threat or not, now that he knows the truth, Kyle's gonna be curious and want to know more. All we can do is be honest with him and be there for him if he lets us. Our main concern should be defeating Zankou. We need to track his whereabouts in the Underworld like Cole said. The Avatars won't involve themselves now anyway."

"At least not yet," Piper murmured.

Astonished that Phoebe's attitude was still so conciliatory towards him, despite how he'd angered her earlier, Cole didn't press his luck. Instead he questioned her, "Are you sure you're well enough to make the trip?"

"I think you should stay here with the boys," Piper agreed, "and rest while you can. We might be going on nothing more than a wild goose chase. Besides, you might have better luck scrying now."

"Except I had that premonition when I touched Pai- Kyle's, shirt," Phoebe argued. "I have to be there."

"All you saw was a glimpse of some sort of ritual involving Kyle," Piper told her. "It's not much to go on and you're not exactly back to fighting speed yet. I think you still need to rest."

"Why?" Phoebe exclaimed with frustration. "Look, our powers're gonna be weakened down there anyway so I'd be no worse off than if I did have them."

"It's not your lack of powers, Pheebs," Piper insisted. "If a different rib had broken, if Cole had waited a second longer, if Leo had been any weaker…Don't you get it? You were this close to joining Prue and I don't want to tempt fate twice in one day."

By the time Piper finished, Phoebe had already wrapped her arms around her older sister. "Didn't mean to scare you," she whispered in Piper's ear. She pulled back, "But I'm better and we're stronger together even if we are in the Underworld. Besides, Cole's gonna stay with the boys while Leo's gone."

"What?"

She turned to Cole, "If you come with us, you'll be back on their radar."

"And then we'll have to deal with either them wanting you back," Paige grumbled, "or wanting you dead. Either way it puts us in danger so can we just drop it and go?"

"No," he growled.

"Look, I know shimmering isn't lethal and won't be sensed but who's to say you won't need to, you know…" Phoebe argued. "If we end up in danger, your first instinct'll be to turn into him and that will be picked up."

"After being dea- after two years, my signal probably won't even be recognized," he assured her, wondering about her motives. Was she trying to protect him or protect herself and her sisters? "So while you're off confronting demons, I'm supposed to wait around here babysitting? It's not what I do, Phoebe."

"It is now," she retorted. "Don't you get it, Cole? Wyatt and Chris're the next generation and have to be protected at all costs. If something happens to us, you need to make sure they're safe until Leo can get them."

"Nothing's going to happen to you," he practically shouted.

"Glad you agree," she grinned as she linked arms with her sisters. "Be back soon."

"Phoebe!" Incensed by her wink, he growled to the one who often was the voice of reason among the sisters, "Piper…"

"Wipes and diapers are on the second shelf of the dresser," Piper told him as Paige orbed them away.

"What!" But the witches had already disappeared and he raged to Leo, "Phoebe's in no condition for a fight now. She manipulated me! And what about your wife? She -"

"Trusts you," Leo interrupted with quiet amusement.

"Is that why there's a pink potion ready with my name on it?" Cole snapped.

"I'm serious," Leo shook his head with a chuckle. "Piper and Paige may still have issues where you're concerned but, believe me, Piper'd never have left our sons in your hands if she didn't, on some level at least, trust you." He couldn't help but smile at Cole's expression of disbelief. "Don't worry, after the day they've had, the boys'll probably sleep through the night. Now I'd better go and -"

"Don't orb an atom, Whitelighter," Cole warned.

"Technically, I'm an Elder," Leo grinned as he orbed away. "Be back soon," his voice echoed.

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	11. chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"What do you want from me?" Cole froze in his spot amazed that a whine had actually passed through his lips. Straightening his shoulders, he clenched his fists, "Demons don't whine." He spun and stared down at the crying baby, "It's been twenty minutes, I demand that you stop. This instant." But Chris mocked his orders by screaming louder and Cole threw his hands up in frustration. Glaring at the ceiling, he growled, "Leo, get your sorry Elder ass down here!"

Suddenly there was a tugging on his pants and he looked down to find Wyatt staring back. "Great. Now you're up. What is this, some sort of tag-team match with your mother and aunts to make sure I'm under constant torture?" The boy only tugged on his pants again and he sighed, "Look, kid, you're his brother, his big brother, and if there's anything I've learned about older siblings it's that you do anything for your younger ones so get him to stop." Almost as an after-thought, he added, "Please."

Wyatt looked from Cole to his brother and back to Cole. "Up."

"Up? What the hell does that mean?"

"Up," Wyatt said again, raising his arms in the air.

"Oh. Up." Cole complied and awkwardly lifted Wyatt in the air. "Okay, now what? As you can see, he hasn't stopped." The boy wriggled in his arms and he quickly adjusted the way he was holding Wyatt. With Wyatt now leaning against his chest, soft hair brushing his neck, Cole fought hard to quell the strange sensations stirring his heart. _'Damn you, Leo, for bringing me back. For making me feel things I shouldn't be feeling.'_ Sounds from Wyatt interrupted his thoughts and he focused on the toddler.

"BooLoo."

"And they say demons are hard to understand," Cole muttered.

"BooLoo," Wyatt insisted with a slight kick to his ribs.

"Look, I don't speak 'baby' and I'm beginning to think I'd've been better off vanquished by your Aunt Paige than subjected to this noise." But he suddenly got the message when Wyatt kicked him again. Following the direction of Wyatt's pointed finger, he spotted the worn blue blanket in the corner of the crib. "BooLoo, I presume."

"BooLoo," Wyatt giggled before nuzzling Cole's neck with a yawn.

As Cole covered Chris, he suggested, "Here's your BooLoo, pal, now how about some quiet? Or do you want to make a liar of your mom who said you'd sleep through." When Chris's tiny hand grabbed the blanket's edge, Cole held his breath and waited to see if the crying would cease. _'Come on, come on, come on…'_ The loud hoarse cries lowered in volume and, satisfied he'd done right, Cole set Wyatt down on the floor and murmured his thanks. "Now go to sleep," he ordered the toddler.

The baby was restlessly tugging on the blanket and without thinking, Cole tucked the blanket in around Chris. "Guess you were cold," he realized before jerking in surprise when Chris grabbed his finger and tearfully whimpered. "It's okay, you're safe here," he whispered. Chris snuffled in response and Cole quipped to the one who shared Piper's soulful eyes, "Oh, so now you're listening to me."

"BooLoo," Wyatt piped up with a giggle.

"Gotta love those BooLoos…Hey," he added as he created a tiny energy ball, "look what I've got." He bounced the tiny ball and smiled in relief when Chris went silent and focused on it. He glanced at Wyatt who also gazed intently as if unsure what to make of the glowing orb. "It's okay," he assured Wyatt, "it's only a little one. In fact, you wanna see a trick?"

Cole stepped back from the railing but stayed within Chris's view. "Been a long time since I did this," he apologized, "so I might be a little rusty." In his free hand, he created another tiny energy ball and then proceeded to bounce each up and down for a few moments. "Something I picked up when I was ten. Of course, I also used them for immediate kills and I did get burned a couple of times but what a rush that first time…" He threw the ball from his right hand up in the air, created a new one, and immediately began juggling the three energy balls.

Wyatt's eyes widened as the energy balls grew bigger each time they passed Cole's hands. "Ooooh."

Cole couldn't believe the satisfaction he felt at entertaining the toddler and infant. But when Wyatt stepped closer and reached out to touch, Cole dissipated the balls. "Sorry, kid, but I don't know if you've got your father's healing abilities and I'm not up for facing the witches' wrath."

"Up?"

Cole sighed but obliged and lifted Wyatt back into his arms. "Think he'll go back to sleep now?" he worried when he noticed that Chris seemed to be fighting sleep. At least the baby had stopped crying and whimpering but he still couldn't understand Wyatt's babbled response. He lightly bounced the toddler, "So what do I do with you? What's it gonna take to get you back to bed?"

Wyatt pointed to his squirming brother before rubbing Cole's chest with his small hand.

"Okay, I get you," Cole nodded before reaching down to lightly rub Chris's chest. As he continued with gentle strokes, Cole tried to ignore the pounding of his own heart as he felt the beating of the baby's heart beneath his fingers. He'd killed more than a few babies in his time while following orders he'd never even remotely thought of questioning. But until this moment, he'd never truly understood the power a baby could wield or why they'd been such prized kills. And sorrow tore at his heart both for his past actions and for himself. He felt Wyatt's small hand patting his cheek and paused to stare at the child.

"Goo," Wyatt proclaimed.

"I'm not good," Cole argued as he returned to his task of settling Chris. "I've tried and I've failed, more than once. But I am what I am and I'll get by." When he realized that Chris was asleep, he stared at the infant but quietly told Wyatt, "You know he would've been only a little older than you. Your cousin, I mean. The boy I'm not sure we would have even deserved…Do you think she ever thought about him?"

"If you truly knew Phoebe, you wouldn't have to ask."

Before Cole could completely turn to face Leo, Wyatt was orbed from his arms. Cole spun the rest of the way with alarm only to discover that the child appeared Leo's arms. "Trying to give me a heart attack?" he accused the child. But Wyatt happily babbled in reply and Cole sighed, "I need a drink."

"No you don't," Leo stated. The last thing they needed was for Cole to drown his sorrows in liquor.

Cole glared at him but didn't speak because he knew Leo was right. He'd spent the past few weeks drinking to forget, drinking in the hopes all the bad would disappear, and it hadn't worked. Of course, being sober hadn't allowed him to think clearly either but he was determined not to walk down that road again.

"C'mon, buddy," Leo kissed Wyatt's cheek, "back to bed."

"No, no, no, no…"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," Leo replied with kisses to his son's cheeks, neck, and belly. He laughed joyfully at the peals of laughter coming from his son as he turned Wyatt upside-down. Wyatt tried to reach up and straighten so Leo helped him the rest of the way before using his powers to suspend Wyatt in mid-air. He blew more kisses into Wyatt's bellybutton and allowed himself to momentarily forget the danger looming before them all.

Cole watched father and son and wished he could ignore Belthazor's laughter at his inability to control the jealousy he felt. He needed to maintain control of his emotions and his life and, while he needed the use of his powers, he also tried to banish his demon half to the far recesses of his soul. He would never be completely human but he planned on savoring every human emotion he could feel. And if that meant jealousy and rage in addition to love and hope, so be it. _'I can do this. I can make my human half stronger. I can suppress Belthazor. I will.'_ But he also couldn't let the matter drop. "I need to know, Leo."

"I won't betray her confidence," Leo warned in a low tone as he lowered Wyatt back into his arms.

"I need to know," Cole repeated.

Leo kissed Wyatt's cheek as he thought of what he could reveal. "She tried to rationalize it at first, that it hadn't been your baby but a thing of evil."

Cole flushed with guilt as he thought of the day Phoebe had told him the news. At that time, Phoebe was the only link keeping his humanity grounded and having a baby with her…Her love was what had saved him. And doomed him. And to this day, he didn't know how much of it that day had been genuine happiness and how much had been self-serving satisfaction for a job well done.

Leo watched the various expressions flicker across Cole's face and continued in a quiet tone both in an effort to settle his excited son and prepare Cole for what would probably be some painful insights, "She knew the child was genetically yours and hers but as much as she wanted to believe he was created in love, she couldn't ignore that he was conceived while you were the Source. She couldn't get past the way you'd used her and tricked her. So, believing the baby to be completely evil, especially after what the Seer revealed, was the only way she could deal with it."

"We never talked about it," Cole rued. "She told me in a single sentence how it ended with the Seer but nothing more. And I never asked. Maybe because I couldn't forgive myself either."

Wyatt rested his head against Leo's shoulder and Leo began to rub the toddler's back in slow circles. "It was still too fresh. Neither of you was ready," he told Cole. "And later, things happened. You were getting desperate, Piper was pregnant, and when Phoebe's due date, what would've been her due date, neared, she had…she had a rough couple of days. Days she pretended everything was fine, days when she couldn't share her thoughts or feelings with anyone."

"But you," Cole pointed out as jealousy once again filled him. "I wasn't dead. Why couldn't she talk to me?"

"I imagine it's because you were losing control to your powers," Leo shrugged, "to the evil. Did you acknowledge the date?" Cole didn't respond and Leo nodded, "You were, for all intents and purposes, lost to her and she needed a break from you and your growing obsession with her. She needed to put distance between her present and the past if she had any hope of making the pain disappear."

Once again he was reminded that it was his inability to let go that drove Phoebe away. "I thought I'd lose her if I accepted her theory that it was over. I wanted, needed, to show her she was wrong, that we could make it work."

"She needed time," Leo corrected without reproach. He didn't want to make Cole feel worse, especially when it seemed Cole finally understood but he had to add, "She loved you and maybe if you'd both had time to recover, you might've found your way back to each other."

"She made it seem so final," Cole complained before shaking his head. "What happened then? After I died? I guess she was pretty relieved it was all over."

Leo glanced at his Wyatt who seemed too interested in the adult conversation to give in to sleep. He continued rubbing his son's back as explained, "Of course she was relieved. She no longer had to look over her shoulder in fear of what you'd try next. But relief didn't make what happened disappear. And she didn't even realize that in some ways it was worse without you available because she no longer had a real outlet to deal with what happened. You were the only one who would truly understand because you were the only one who was actually a part of it. So she did the only thing she could, she buried it. She buried all the emotions, all the hopes and dreams, all the heartache. She buried it all deep inside herself and concentrated on living."

"I understand," Cole murmured.

"But it wasn't gone," Leo informed him. "You can't overcome your problems by burying them and pretending they don't exist. As much as Phoebe tried, she couldn't go on as if it had never happened. There was still too much anger and resentment and that began to seep out. So she tried to overcompensate but all that accomplished was that she lost her way too."

"She told me about the Elders taking her powers," Cole nodded.

"That's only recently," Leo clarified. "Remember, you've been gone almost two years and a lot has happened to her in that time. Phoebe spent most of it struggling to regain her sense of self, her identity, and she hasn't always succeeded."

"I never meant to hurt her," Cole shamefully commented as he turned from Leo and glanced at the sleeping baby. "I never meant for any of this."

"I know," Leo nodded, "and I believe she knows it too. But what happened happened and it changed her. Phoebe's had to learn how to trust again. Trust in her sisters, in herself…in other men." Leo watched as Cole absorbed the meaning of his words and acknowledged, "You were the first man she'd truly let into her heart and she never wanted that to happen again. But the heart doesn't always agree with the mind and she found herself falling in love again. But once again, it didn't end with the happily ever after she'd been expecting."

"Who was he?" Cole asked in a choked voice.

"That's for Phoebe to tell you," Leo decided. "She's strong, though, a survivor. And she managed to move on after that broken affair too. But for every step of progress there seemed to be another two steps of disappointment. Most recently, it's been the premonitions of becoming a mother which, after the latest with Zankou and Kyle, I'm sure she fears will never come true."

A mother? Phoebe hadn't mentioned that part of the premonition. Of course, she hadn't mentioned a new lover either. "And now I'm back and all these feelings she's buried are bubbling inside her waiting to burst out so she can deal with them. You made a mistake, Leo, my presence is only hurting and confusing her and I think," Cole uttered in a resigned voice, "I'd better go. I'm not sure I'd be able to help against Zankou anyway."

"You can't leave."

"I have to," Cole quietly insisted. "You've made it clear she's never truly recovered from what happened between us and I won't hurt her again."

"You will hurt her if you leave," Leo argued. "Don't you get it, Cole? She never had closure because you were vanquished and she buried everything in her heart. But I know there's so much she needs to hear from you just as I know there's so much she needs to say to you."

"We talked in the kitchen," Cole told him, "before Paige interrupted."

"It wasn't enough," Leo countered, "not for what you mean to each other."

"What do mean to her but a reminder of an evil chapter in her life?" Cole bitterly questioned. "One best forgotten…"

Leo smiled as he disagreed, "You're a reminder of one of the best chapters of her life. Trust me on this."

"You made a mistake," Cole insisted.

"You are our best chance," Leo stated as Chris began to fuss. "Don't get me wrong, I didn't choose you because it would help you or Phoebe. I chose you because you are our best chance at defeating Zankou and working with the Avatars towards a utopia. So think of this as a bonus, the chance to settle things with Phoebe." He noticed Cole's skeptical expression, "You're right, you're not being promised a happily ever after but don't you think you're both entitled to some peace and the chance to move on with your lives without any strings attached? This might be your last chance, Cole. Don't blow it."

"It's not that I don't --" Cole began just as Chris wailed. And then he frowned, "What is that stench?"

Leo chuckled as he approached the crib, "Normal baby smells, Cole."

"Poop," Wyatt announced as Leo set him on the floor.

Cole grimaced as Leo lifted the screaming baby, "I'll leave you to your paternal duty then." But just as he was about to shimmer away, Leo shoved Chris into his arms. Cole immediately held Chris at arms' length away and tried to give the baby back.

"Changing him will be a good experience for you," Leo decided.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"You think you've the sole rights to insanity?" Leo paused, unable to believe he'd actually joked about the terror he'd felt when the Avatars had first made contact with him.

Cole watched him with suspicion, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Poop!" Wyatt told his father as the baby squirmed and screamed suspended from Cole's hands.

"First things first," Leo nodded approvingly to his son before turning back to Cole, "Come on, Phoebe told me how you'd gone all out that day. In all your excitement about becoming a father, didn't it occur to you what it meant to have a baby?"

Cole followed Leo to the changing table and again tried to give the baby back. "No, it didn't. Besides, isn't this what magic's for?"

Leo laughed and pushed Cole toward the table, "All women are impressed by men who can change a diaper." Cole gave him a skeptical look and he couldn't help but laugh again as Cole barely managed to keep from dropping Chris onto the changing pad. "Elder teaching a demon to change a diaper, who'd a thunk it?"

"Shut up," Cole muttered as he began to unsnap Chris's pajamas.

"Poop!" Wyatt repeated in amusement as he was lifted back into Leo's arms.

Leo couldn't keep a straight face as he watched Cole suddenly lean back in order to avoid the powerful aroma emanating from his son's messy bottom, "Poop happens, Cole. It's all part of being human."

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	12. chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"Is it always that…messy?" Cole asked as he dropped into a seat at the kitchen table and took a swig from the beer bottle he'd just opened.

"Your lucky day, I suppose," Leo grinned as he sat at the table and flipped off the cap of his own bottle.

"Lucky, my ass," Cole muttered, "conspiracy's more like it." As he brought the bottle to his lips, he scowled, "I think my hands still reek." Was he whining again? He gulped the cold liquid. It'd been a hell of a day.

"Don't be ridiculous," Leo retorted, "the hand lotion took care of that. And don't worry, she'll be impressed."

Cole eyed him before he drank some more beer, "Who says I'm trying to impress her?"

"You're saying you don't want her back?"

"I'm not saying anything," Cole maintained. "It's Phoebe's choice and I'm sure she doesn't want me back whether I can change a diaper or not. You said it yourself, she wants closure, that's all."

"Not exactly what I said," Leo corrected.

"Peace, closure, same thing," Cole remarked with a shrug before chugging down the last of his beer and starting another.

They drank in silence before Cole set his second bottle down on the table and leaned back. "Why, Leo? Prue would've been a better choice than me."

"I told you before, to help us against Zankou."

"Prue would make the Charmed Ones even more powerful," Cole countered. "Armed with their Book and their lineage, they would be unbeatable."

"You know that's not true," Leo stated. "Prue had a number of failings not to mention that her return would upset the dynamic of the sisters. After all this time, Piper's still not completely comfortable with being "the" big sister, but do you think she'd have an easy time letting Prue take over again?"

"I think she'd give anything to have Prue back," Cole said.

"Even so," Leo replied before he placed his bottle on the table and leaned forward, "what about Paige? She's never met Prue and has often found herself being the glue holding her sisters together, do you think she'd have an easy time stepping aside to let Prue act the big sister? And what about Phoebe who often didn't see eye-to-eye with Prue?"

"Points taken," Cole grudgingly acknowledged. "Still doesn't explain why you chose me. I'm not number one on their list, except for a vanquish."

"Self-pity doesn't suit you, Cole," Leo frowned, "and I'm getting tired of it." Both were silent for a few moments before he added, "If the thought that your intellect and strength isn't enough reason, how about the fact that you're unique?" He didn't smile at Cole's sarcastic snort. "You are unique," he repeated. "For good or bad, you're a part of both our worlds and can fit in comfortably enough in either."

"And that's something to be proud of?"

"In a way," Leo shrugged. "You can't help your heritage, Cole. You were born to a demon mother and were raised in that world. Sure, I've spent a lot of time down there recently, but I will never be as familiar with the territory as you are. You have an incredible amount of knowledge of the demons, their lore, their politics. It was always an advantage to have you on our side."

"Score one for the traitor," Cole saluted Leo with a third bottle. He jumped back in his seat when the bottle promptly exploded from a lightning bolt. "So much for the pacifist Elder. I'm not cleaning that up, you know."

"Do you think this is all a joke?" Leo demanded through clenched teeth. "You've got no idea of the hell we've been through. The Elders aren't gods and they're not perfect. They can betray just as easily as any demon."

Cole saw something in Leo's eyes and sincerely apologized, "It's hard. You're making me out to be some sort of damned savior and I'm not…just damned."

Leo's tone softened, "You're not the only one who's damned."

"What happened to you, Leo?"

"You don't have to be demonic to have a dark side," Leo replied, staring at the beer bottle before him. "We all have our dark sides. You've seen Piper's and Phoebe's, you've even seen Paige's." He tore slightly at the label before looking back at Cole, "Let's just say I've tapped into mine. I'm not absolving you of your sins, Cole, but maybe I'm more understanding because I've got sins of my own to repent." Cole merely watched him and he concluded, "Look, the Avatars gave me a chance to save Piper's life and the opportunity to create a peaceful, normal, future and if that means using whatever means possible to vanquish the new Source, so be it. You're stuck here but if you still want out after that's done, I'll take care of it."

Cole saw the truth in Leo's eyes and believed Leo meant what he said. Leo would end his torment if he requested it and it would certainly be a twist for Leo to vanquish him instead of Phoebe and her sisters. He watched the man seated opposite him and understood Leo had changed. Leo was more proactive, more bold, and, for the first time, Cole felt he could actually admire Leo. "Then let's get to it. What did the Elders tell you?"

"Not much," Leo admitted. "There aren't any left who were around the last time Zankou was free and the history books weren't very informative. By touch, he can absorb the power of any demon or witch before killing them and there's no known spell or potion to vanquish him."

"Which is why he was trapped in a stasis field," Cole nodded. "Unfortunately, from what I know, being in stasis didn't mean he would be unaware."

"So he's spent centuries learning," Leo realized.

"Which means he'll know what mistakes to avoid," Cole agreed, "and he'll know exactly how to strike. And if Zankou wipes out the Avatars with Kyle's help, he'll become the most dangerous weapon the magical world has ever seen next to the Hollow."

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"He's here…" Paige whispered to her sisters after she waved them over to her hiding spot behind the boulders.

"Not very secure," Phoebe whispered back when she scanned the area and found no other demons present. "Let's get him and get out."

"It's gotta be a trap," Piper warned her. "After our little escapade back in that other cave, they've gotta be expecting us."

"Try calling for him," Phoebe suggested to Paige.

"I did. Nothing happened."

"Protective shield?" Piper wondered, recalling Chris's electric shield at P3.

"I don't think so," Paige considered. "More like I'm not strong enough."

Phoebe nodded, "Power drain from being down here. But given that you're half-Whitelighter, orbing probably only works if you're touching the person or thing. So c'mon, let's go before the room fills up with demons."

The sisters cautiously crept out from behind the boulders and made their way to the bier where Kyle lay.

"Kyle…" Paige whispered as she lightly patted his cheeks. She kept it up when he began to stir. "C'mon, Kyle, open your eyes." She smiled in relief when he did.

"Reunion later," Piper nervously advised, "orb now."

"Too late," Phoebe shouted when two demons, in male human form, burst into the area.

Piper blew one up while Phoebe ducked and rolled from an incoming energy ball.

"I'm not sure I can orb all four of us," Paige worried as she tried to help Kyle into a seated position.

"Take Phoebe and go," Piper ordered while missing in her attempt to blow up the second demon who now poised to attack Phoebe who'd gotten to her feet.

"No way," Phoebe argued, kicking out with her feet and landing a blow to the demon's chest.

"No," Kyle stated as he pushed Paige back.

"Paige, go!" Piper shouted in her second try at blowing up the demon. "Damn power drain," she muttered when she only managed to destroy his left arm.

"Phoebe come on," Paige called out as she reached again for Kyle.

"Leave," he ordered, "before you get hurt."

"Not without you," she argued. "What the hell were you thinking, going off on your own to confront Zankou?"

"He was thinking of himself," Phoebe muttered as she launched another attack on the demon before being slammed to the ground by her one-armed opponent.

"I was thinking of my parents," Kyle snapped. "I was thinking of all the other innocents the Avatars are going to kill in their quest for power."

"Your parents were demons," Piper countered as she finally blew up the demon completely, "and your joining them won't be helping the innocents." She rushed to Phoebe's side, "Are you okay?"

"I'm so out of practice," Phoebe complained, slowly getting to her feet, "it's not even funny."

Piper led Phoebe to Paige's side, "There are other ways, Kyle. You don't have to sacrifice yourself."

"I'm not," he declared.

Paige grabbed Kyle's hand, "C'mon, we'll argue about this later."

Jerking his hand free, he shouted, "No!" And, with a wave of his hands, he sent the sisters flying across the cavern. He cringed when they slammed against the wall and crumpled to the floor. "I'm sorry," he told them as they stirred, "but I can't let you stop me."

"You don't know what you're saying," Paige groaned.

"He does," Phoebe panted, getting to her hands and knees. "The ritual's over, we're too late, Paige."

"No we're not." Paige scrambled to her feet and swayed a moment when stood. She held out her hand to Kyle, "Please, we can fight the Avatars together."

He shook his head, "You don't believe they're a threat."

"We haven't made up our minds," Piper informed him as she stood on her own wobbly feet. She bent to help Phoebe stand and added, "We didn't want to rush into any decision but your alliance with Zankou's pushing us into the middle of a war we didn't ask for."

"But a war we will win."

The sisters spun to the direction of the new arrival.

"Zankou, I presume," Phoebe said.

He bowed slightly and greeted, "The Charmed Ones, I presume. I'm pleased to finally make your acquaintance."

"Not for long," Piper grumbled before she blew him up. She turned to Phoebe, "That was too easy."

"But rather fun," Zankou's voice replied before he slowly solidified before them. He smiled again as the sisters unconsciously stepped closer together. "It's been a long time since anyone tried that."

"Then you'll really enjoy this," Phoebe announced.

"_Evil being standing before me, burn in hell for all eternity."_

She was thrown back from the concussive blast and coughed from the smoke filling the area. "Piper? Paige?"

"In one piece," Paige coughed as she got to her feet, "I think."

"When," Piper cleared her throat, "did you come up with that one?"

"Just now," Phoebe replied with a smile. "You like?"

Paige waved the smoke away and found a black scorch mark on the ground, "I like."

Piper sniffed with disapproval, "And he thought he could be Source."

"Not could be," Zankou's voice echoed. "Is."

The sisters froze when Zankou appeared on the very scorch mark that had seemingly marked his demise seconds before.

"Paige, now would be a good time…" Phoebe nervously said as she linked arms with her sisters.

"Kyle…" Paige pleaded.

"He stays," Zankou declared. "And it's not time to deal with you yet." He nodded to the right and the girls flew across the cavern but instead of hitting the wall, they disappeared. "This was not a test but I'm pleased," he turned to Kyle, "by your actions."

"A deal's a deal," Kyle commented. "The Avatars first."

Zankou smiled and agreed, "The Avatars first."

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The solarium's wicker furniture prevented the witches from crashing through the stained glass windows.

Leo and Cole came running in from the kitchen and found the sisters struggling to get up. Leo rushed to his wife while Cole hurried to Phoebe.

"I hate the Underworld," Piper muttered. With Leo's arms wrapped tightly around her, she pressed herself even closer to his chest.

Certain Phoebe's clinging to him was nothing more than a traumatic reaction, Cole gently eased her from his arms in order to prevent her from feeling any embarrassment. "What happened?" he asked as he helped her stand.

Confused by his actions, Phoebe stepped back. _'I'm so stupid,'_ she cursed herself. _'He was just helping me up, it didn't mean anything to him.'_

"You okay, Paige?" Paige grumbled as she sat up without any help. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"We found Kyle," Phoebe replied after a sheepish apology to her sister.

"And he's embraced his inner Gloryhound," Piper added with a sigh.

"Zankou did something to him," Paige disagreed. "If we get Kyle away from --"

"Zankou?" Leo interrupted. "He was there?"

"Our little entrance here was courtesy of Zankou Express," she nodded.

"He let you go," Cole realized. "He'll deal with the Avatars first and then toy with you some more before destroying you."

"Cheery thought, Cole, thanks," Piper quipped. She was about to add more but suddenly found herself holding her son. "Wyatt, what have I told you about orbing from bed." She kissed and hugged him, "It's sleepy time now." She turned to Cole, "I told you they wouldn't be any problem."

"Poop, Mama," Wyatt grinned when he saw Cole.

"Okay, kiddo," she kissed the top of his head, "let's go upstairs and get you changed."

"He means Chris," Leo told her with a sideways glance to Cole. "Earlier. But don't worry, Cole took care of it."

"What d'you mean Cole took care of it?" Piper wondered.

"He means I changed the diaper," Cole replied as if it wasn't a big deal.

"You?" Piper chuckled.

"You think it was too tough a task for a mere half-human like myself?" But he caught a glimmer of amusement in Phoebe's eye and glanced to Leo who flashed back an "I-told-you-so" grin.

"Considering it was his first time, Cole did good," Leo praised.

"Goo," Wyatt emphatically agreed.

"I can't believe you," Paige complained to Leo. "How could you?"

Surprised by her attitude, Leo frowned, "Chris was safe, Paige. Besides, I was standing right there."

"I don't mean that," she waved away his defense.

Cole glared at her, "Then what do you mean?"

"I mean how could you let Cole change a diaper without taking any pictures?"

"Well, maybe Cole will perform an encore for you," Piper sniffed as she lifted Wyatt from her lap. "Someone needs here does need to be changed."

"Phe!" Wyatt called out and ran to his aunt.

Phoebe chuckled, knelt, and greeted him with a kiss, "Well a shower would be nice to get rid of the smell of fire and brimstone."

Piper stood, went to her son, and held out her hand, "C'mon, Wyatt, upstairs."

"Phe, Phe!" Wyatt giggled after Phoebe kissed him relentlessly and let him go.

Phoebe was still smiling as she helped Paige to her feet while Wyatt orbed away with Piper.

"He makes you sound like a French poodle," Cole teased.

Phoebe ignored Paige's chuckle and turned to Cole, stung by his comment. In a shaky voice, she told him, "If you think I'm a bitch, just say so. Don't hide behind an innocent two-year old."

Surprised by her sister's reaction, Paige quietly assured Phoebe, "He was only teasing."

Caught completely off-guard, Cole was still speechless. How could she have misunderstood? "Phoebe, you don't --" But Phoebe had already run from the room and he turned to the others, "What just happened?"

"She's been through a lot today," Paige reasoned. "She needs some space."

"I have to talk to her," Cole told them.

Paige was about to stop Cole from shimmering when Leo gently restrained her.

"Let him go. He needs this," Leo advised. "And Phoebe does too."

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	13. chatper 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

By the time Phoebe burst into her bedroom, Cole's confusion had simmered into anger and he barked at her, "What the hell was that about?"

She'd practically slammed into him when she'd run through the door and, recovering from her shock at finding him waiting for her, she pointed to the hall, "Get out, Cole."

"Like hell," he retorted before slamming the door. "What is wrong with you?"

In the hopes of grabbing her robe from her closet, she darted around him, "Just leave me alone."

But he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Not until you explain that little scene of yours."

"Of mine? You're the one! You've made yourself perfectly clear," she defiantly stated while traitorous tears stung the corners of her eyes. "Now let go of me."

Realizing he'd been squeezing her much too hard, Cole released her but still demanded, "Maybe you'd like to clarify it for me first, just so I am clear."

"I'm talking about the way you feel," she spat. "The way you really feel about me. And you were brilliant, by the way, making sure I finally dropped my guard before you sucker-punched me."

"I was joking about the poodle," he told her. "Hell, even Paige knew that!"

"Please," she turned from him, "I feel stupid enough as it is. God, why do I even let you get to me?" She spun back to him, "I am so over you so do me a favor and just leave. We'll handle Zankou on our own."

"Not until we talk," he shouted, "and I've got more than a few things to say."

"Keep your voice down," she snapped. "And I'm not listening to any more lies."

"What have I lied about?" he angrily questioned. "You know, this's just typical of you. Always jumping to the wrong conclusions and making an ass of yourself before you go groveling for forgiveness. Oh wait, there I am, in the wrong again. The almighty Charmed Ones don't bother with groveling because they're never sorry for wrongs they've committed. Your motto should be accuse and vanquish, no questions asked and no regrets."

Stunned by his remarks, Phoebe couldn't think clearly enough to form a comeback. Instead, she shoved him back and tried to run from her room.

Surprised by his own bitterness, Cole managed to grab her arm, just as she'd flung open the door, and contritely said, "I'm sorry."

She didn't pull her arm free but didn't look back at him as she quietly requested, "Let me go."

He complied and acknowledged, "This got out of hand and I'm not sure how."

But Phoebe kept her back to him, "I'm taking a shower. You can stay on the couch tonight if you don't have another place but leave me alone."

No sooner had she closed the door behind her than Cole let out his frustration by firing at one of her window seat cushions. He hung his head in regret at the resulting scorch mark on the bench. _'Not like this,' _he decided as he pulled the door open only to find Leo standing there.

"You weren't paying attention before," Leo quietly rebuked.

"I don't have time for this," Cole muttered. "Get out of my way."

"Make time," Leo ordered as he walked forward, causing Cole to step back into the bedroom.

"What is it?" Cole practically growled.

"You need to cool down before you go charging into that bathroom," Leo advised. "Don't look so surprised, I know you better than you think."

"She's completely irrational," Cole declared, "and she's blaming me!"

"Did you ask her about it?"

"Of course I did!" Cole decided Leo was a moment away from an energy ball.

"Did you ask her?" Leo waited for the meaning of his words to sink in before he continued, "Think about the day she's had, nothing but one shock after another, none the least of which was her near-death experience. And, instead of calmly asking why your comment set her off, you went on the offensive."

"What the hell are you talking about? She blew everything way out of proportion. She started!" Cole's hands were clenched and aching for an energy ball.

Leo shook his head with disappointment, "You're letting anger cloud your thinking." Cole looked back at him in expectation and he sighed, "What did you ask me about earlier? And what did I tell you about Phoebe keeping things inside?"

His anger immediately drained from him and Cole's hands fell limply to his sides, "The baby?" Leo didn't respond. "But it's only November, right? The baby wouldn't have been due yet. That can't be it."

"I told you about her recent premonitions about becoming a mother," Leo explained, "but you don't have a clue what they've meant to her, how they've affected her. And now those visions are jeopardized by this business with Zankou and Kyle. Becoming a mother is weighing on her mind and then suddenly you're back in her life. And one of the first things she does is put you in charge of watching Wyatt and Chris which goes better than she expects with you even changing a diaper. And then…"

Cole brought his hand to his face and closed his eyes, "And then I made that crack calling her a poodle…"

"There was a time when you were both in tune with each other, when you could tease and joke even in the worst circumstances," Leo commented. "I suggest you find that link again before you cause each other irreparable damage."

"You mean we haven't already?" Cole uttered in defeat.

"Where there's love, Cole," Leo assured him, turning to the door, "there's hope."

"Who says she still loves me?" Cole called out as Leo left the room.

Leo didn't let Cole see his smile, "Who says she doesn't?"

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Paige carefully opened the door to the boys' room just as Piper got Wyatt settled in bed. "You hear them?"

"It's between them," Piper reminded her youngest sister. "Cole's here and Phoebe has to deal with it."

"We all have to deal with it," Paige countered before admitting, "I don't get her though. How many times have I called her a French Poodle after Wyatt sees her?"

Piper kissed Wyatt a bunch of times before convincing the sleepy toddler to keep his eyes closed. Glancing at Paige she shrugged, "This was Cole and you know she's got unresolved feelings where he's concerned."

"I know nothing of the sort," Paige declared quietly so as not to disturb Wyatt. "She loved him once but she got over it once he destroyed it by going crazy."

"She'll always love him," Piper informed her sister as she made sure the guards on Wyatt's bed were secure and she carefully backed away. Next to Paige in the doorway, she kept an eye on Wyatt and added, "But she's never had to deal with it because he's been gone. Now he's back and she's confused."

"Nothing to be confused about," Paige insisted. "He killed innocents and that was after he came back from the Wasteland and promised to be good. Helping us with Zankou and the Avatars won't make up for it."

"It could be a start," Piper considered. "Sweetie, you're gonna have to look at Phoebe's relationship with Cole a bit differently now that you're involved with Kyle."

"What?" Paige gasped. "Kyle's nothing like Cole."

"He's a demon," Piper commented in a hushed tone, "and even if we do pull him through this business with Zankou, the temptations for Kyle will be more intense than before. Maybe he did spend his life as a human and maybe those instincts are still there but he's a full-demon and that pull might be more powerful now."

"I won't lose him," Paige promised. "I'll help him. We'll learn about Gloryhounds and figure out how he can control the evil inclinations."

In spite of Paige's emphatic reply, Piper wasn't sure Paige fully understood the implications behind it. "So you're ready to fight for Kyle and support him like Phoebe did for Cole? Will you stand by him no matter how many times he falls? Are you willing to wear yourself thin balancing a life with him and a life with us as a Charmed One? Or will you realize that you're from two different worlds and you have to let him go? And what happens if he does terrible evil things? Are you prepared to vanquish him if it comes to that?"

"It's so unfair," Paige croaked. "Why'd this have to happen? It was going so well…"

Piper hugged her sister, "Welcome to Phoebe's world." Piper nudged her into the hall, "Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

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He shimmered into the bathroom, took a deep breath, and opened the shower door. She was crouched under the spray, muffling her cries with a washcloth and he quickly knelt in the doorway, unconcerned that he was getting soaked. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he gently pulled her into his arms.

Phoebe let him wrap his arms around her and she dropped her washcloth. Clinging to him, she sobbed into his chest.

"Let it out," he encouraged, slowly rocking back and forth on his heels. "It'll be okay," he soothed as he kissed the top of her head. "Let it out."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled over and over.

"We both knew which buttons to push," he reasoned as he continued to stroke her back. "It's okay."

After a few moments, she realized with a sniffle, "You're all wet."

"I needed a shower anyway," he said in a light tone.

"It was just a diaper," she remarked in a hoarse voice, not able to pull away from him.

"A reeking diaper," he retorted. He felt her chuckles more than he actually heard them and, with relief, he tightened his embrace. When she finally pulled back, he quickly framed her face and told her, "I wasn't thinking and I'm sorry."

She nudged him so he would help her stand and, as he did, she apologized, "I over-reacted big time. Paige teases me all the time, even made me a sign that said, 'Fifi's Room.' I know you didn't mean anything by it."

He stepped back and turned from her, "I'd better get changed before Piper has a fit over me dripping all over the floors and furniture."

Phoebe reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt before he could leave.

Cole's heart pounded as he slowly turned around to face her. It had been easier to ignore her nudity when she'd been crying but now, seeing her looking back at him with desire in her eyes…He shook his head and stepped back again, "I have to go."

But she reached for him, "You're already wet, no sense in wasting water later."

He didn't move, "You're still not thinking clearly."

Phoebe stepped out from the shower and placed her hands on his chest, "Crystal clear."

His feet moved against his will as she drew him back to the shower and tugged his T-shirt out of his jeans. He placed his hands on hers to stop her, "I don't want you doing anything you'll regret."

"Aren't you the one who said I regret nothing?" she murmured before standing on tiptoes so her lips could meet his.

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"So now I smell from strawberries instead of --"

She quickly interrupted his complaint with a kiss before resting her head on his chest. She fingered his chest hair as he drew the blanket over them. "Hell of a day, huh…"

"Hell is nothing compared to day with the Halliwells," he muttered. When she lightly slapped his chest, he lazily began to stroke her back. "Got up this morning, changed the world, was vanquished, and ended up almost two years in the future…hell of a day…"

Suddenly Phoebe realized what day it was and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Cole." She felt him tense beneath her and she kissed his chest in apology, "Sorry it wasn't what you'd hoped."

'_Maybe it was.' _But he was afraid of speaking and ruining the moment and, when she nuzzled him with her cheek, he kissed the top of her head and settled back against the pillows.

They were silent for a short while, lost in their own thoughts, while each instinctively remembered just the right little touches to please the other, quiet contemplation slowly giving way once more to passion.

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	14. chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Phoebe stretched and gasped when her foot was met with another foot. She sat up straight and gasped again when she saw Cole lying asleep next to her. _'It wasn't a dream…Leo did bring him back…And we…we…'_

Cole woke with a start to find Phoebe holding a hand to her heart and breathing heavily. "What's wrong," he asked quickly as he sat up, "are you hurt?" When she didn't speak, he immediately pulled her into his arms, "Bad dream? It's okay, it can't hurt you."

She let him guide her back down so that she partially lay on him but it was still a few more moments before she found her voice. His heart was beating steadily beneath her ear. "You're really here…"

Unsure from the tone of her voice whether that was a good thing or not, he froze. But as she wasn't fidgeting or trying to move away from him, he began stroking her shoulder and arm. When she snuggled closer, he assured her, "I'm really here."

She'd noticed the way he'd stiffened and then relaxed and knew it was because he didn't know what to make of her comment. The problem was, neither did she and she nuzzled him in frustration. _'God, I'm so confused…'_

'_Her mixed signals may be the death of me…again…'_ Groaning a bit louder than he'd intended, he glanced at the clock and suggested, "Why don't you go back to sleep? It's still early and I'm sure your sisters won't be up for a few hours. Not after last night's escapades."

"You don't know the boys…"

Cole felt the wetness on his chest and glanced down in surprise. "Phoebe?"

She wiped the tears from his skin and apologized in a whisper, "I don't know how to get past it."

"Past what?"

"You did terrible things, Cole," she softly said before brushing her lips against his chest. "You," she almost couldn't get the words out, "you killed innocents."

He knew which ones she meant and didn't ask for explanation as he continued to trail his fingers along her shoulder. "I could plead insanity, say it wa--"

"Not funny," she warned, pinching his abs.

"It wasn't meant to be," he agreed, flicking her fingers from the sore spot. Phoebe pressed a kiss to the spot and he combed his fingers through her hair as he quietly went on, "The truth is, I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. I was obsessed. I needed to make you see that you made a mistake in giving up on us."

"On you, you mean."

Cole didn't address the remark and continued, "There was a part of me that wanted to stop but I couldn't and, whether they were good or bad, I knowingly took their lives. The worst part's that there's nothing I can ever do to make up for it. But I wish there was. I'm so sorry, Phoebe, for what I did, to them, to you, to your sisters…You have to believe that."

"I want to," Phoebe whispered. "This was magic," she kissed his chest again, "just like it always was, and I…I'd be lying if I didn't say there's a part of me that wants…"

"I want it too," Cole assured her when she began to cry. "But I can't change the past."

"And we can't stay in this little bubble either," she croaked. "The real world hasn't gone away and we have to face it and all the consequences."

"By that you mean your sisters," he frowned.

"I mean consequences," she disagreed. "Your actions will catch up to you, to us, at some point. Fate will make sure of it. And any actions on my part concerning you will only lead to more consequences."

"Does that have to be a bad thing?"

She shook her head slightly and insisted, "I can't blindly follow my heart anymore. It's caused too much pain already."

"I'm sorry I've done that to you," he apologized.

"It wasn't just you," she murmured.

"Tell me about him," he suddenly said before clarifying, "about your lover."

Confused by the abrupt change in topic and by the request itself, Phoebe sat up, modestly covering herself with the comforter, "I'm not involved with anyone."

"Leo said you were in love," he replied as he also sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

"Leo has a big mouth," she grumbled. But she recognized the look of determination in his eyes and knew he wasn't about to let the matter drop. She sighed, "His name was Jason and we were together just about a year."

"Tell me about him," Cole requested again. "Why aren't you still together?"

"Short story," she shrugged and looked down at her lap, "he couldn't handle me being a witch."

Cole tilted her chin up with his index finger, "Long story this time."

"Why do you want to know?" She shook her head and twisted in her spot so that she didn't face him, "It was just another failed Phoebe romance. Let it go."

"Leo made it seem like you were ready to marry this guy," he argued. She didn't comment and he tried to hold back the shock from his voice, "You would've married him?"

Phoebe heard the disappointment and decided not to remind him of the fact that they were divorced and free to be with others. Instead, she unapologetically revealed, "Jason was a good man, successful, adorable, and he accepted me, quirks and all. And I fell in love with him, even considered moving half-way 'round the world to be with him." She toyed with the hem of her blanket, "So, yeah, if he would've proposed I would've said yes."

Cole closed his eyes as he absorbed the news. Maybe they were divorced and maybe it hadn't been infidelity on her part but why the hell did he feel that way? _'Because I still think of her as my wife,'_ he answered himself. He opened his eyes and gazed at her bare back, itching to touch her but restraining himself. "Nothing like waking up to a little ego bruising first thing in the morning," he somberly commented.

Phoebe twisted back to face him and retorted, "You asked."

"That I did," he conceded. She was still glaring at him when he asked, "So why didn't it work?"

"I told you, he couldn't handle me being a witch."

"What kind of good man leads you on for a year before deciding it's too much to handle?" he questioned with more than a hint of disdain for the other man.

"It wasn't like that at all. Jason was very patient, waiting for me to figure out what I wanted. He came along right after you d-- He knew I'd been badly hurt and was scared of what was happening between us. Besides," she confessed, "Jason didn't know I was a witch, not until the end, and, believe me, that wasn't a pleasant experience. He needed time to sort things through but finally realized it wouldn't work between us. He loved me but our lives were too different."

"Hurts, doesn't it," Cole quietly remarked, "when the one you love so completely tells you it's not enough."

Phoebe let the dig slide, "I'm not sure it would've been any different if he'd known the truth all along."

"So why didn't he know?"

She thought for a moment before answering, "I didn't plan on falling in love with him and magic had to be a secret. But the more time that went by, the deeper involved we got, I didn't know how to tell him."

"You were afraid he'd reject you because of it," Cole surmised. When, after a few seconds, she silently nodded, he told her, "You can't hide who you are, Phoebe. It's not fair to you or the man you're involved with."

She shrugged, "It's just hard." She suddenly flopped down next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist, one leg over his, "Sometimes I think you're the only one who ever truly knew me, the only one who ever will."

"Maybe the ego's not as bruised as I thought."

Phoebe lightly slapped his chest but the sparkle in his eyes only made her want to grin so she laid her head on his chest to avoid looking at him. The fact that he was still amused didn't help. After a few moments of companionable silence, she warily asked, "What else did Leo say?"

Given that the last conversation went well enough, Cole decided not to hold back, "He may have mentioned you'd had some premonitions about having a baby." He felt her stiffen and made sure she wouldn't pull away by kissing the top of her head. "You don't have to talk about it."

But she knew she'd have to talk about it sooner or later because she, herself, had alluded to the premonitions when they'd talked in the kitchen. Cole's constant touch was a comfort of sorts and, a few minutes later, she began her recollection. "That first one…seeing myself pregnant, came at a time in my life when I needed so badly to believe in a happy future. In it, Piper said I was having a girl and everything seemed so peaceful…All I wanted was to make it come true. Of course, that's also part of the reason I lost my powers."

"I'm can't picture you being that obsessed," he said while lightly stroking her arm.

"Not pretty," she admitted, resisting the urge to make a dig of her own about his obsession. "Speed-dating just to find the father of my child was insane and, you're right, I wasn't fair to those guys or to myself. It took some time and a bit of soul-searching to finally accept the fact that I couldn't force it to happen. If it was meant to happen, it would. And I was okay with it…"

"Until you met the Seer?"

The images flashed through her mind and it was harder for Phoebe to maintain control. Her voice cracked when she answered, "She showed me this other vision, one that was so vivid, so real. I saw her, my little girl, I mean. With beautiful long brown hair and her eyes, God, it was so…I saw her and held her and spoke with her…but now…"

"It will happen."

"Maybe not," she said. "Maybe I lost my one chance to be a mother after I lost…"

Cole brushed away her tears. This wasn't how he'd wanted to get into that conversation with her. But as her tears continued to flow, he found the words spilling from his lips, "Sometimes I hear him crying. I know it's not possible and completely irrational but there are times…Hell, Leo should've chosen Prue…"

"You were his father," Phoebe sniffled. "It's not crazy…or maybe we both are. There are times when I -- dammit," she slapped his chest and shoved herself away, "how could you? How could you turn him evil?"

Cole grabbed her back, in spite of her struggling, and buried his face in the crook of her shoulder. "It was the only way," he hoarsely told her. "The only way to keep him safe, keep you safe. I needed you, Phoebe. I needed you by my side."

"I was at your side," she declared, her voice muffled by his chest. She pulled back to look at him, unconcerned about her runny nose and damp cheeks, and repeated, "I was at your side."

"I know," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her again. Tears stung his eyes, "I'm sorrier than you'll ever know for my part in it."

But Phoebe couldn't speak anymore and clung tightly to him as the years of repressed emotions broke through the shell she'd created for herself as a means of protection. Protection from the pain. She'd wanted that baby. She'd wanted Cole. And a part of her still wanted them even after the hell she and her sisters had been through. _'But I don't know if I'm strong enough to keep wanting them anymore…'_

After a few more minutes, once they'd each recovered a bit more, Cole leaned back against the headboard, his arms still around Phoebe. He reached over for a tissue, handed it to her, and, as she blew her nose, he asked, "How are the Avatars involved?"

Relieved for the change in topic, she replied fairly quickly, "In the vision, I told my little girl not to worry about demons because thanks to the Avatars there were no more demons."

"And that's why you believed their offer of a utopia?" She nodded and he kissed her again, "Go back to sleep. The Avatars, Zankou, they're not going anywhere yet. You may get your utopia after all."

"Thought you said there's no such thing," she countered.

"There isn't," he agreed, "but that doesn't mean you can't have your happy future."

"With you?" she asked with more than a bit of hesitation.

'_Yes, with me!' _Instead, he replied, "With whoever you're meant to be with."

But Phoebe knew what he didn't say and, as she traced invisible circles on his chest, told him, "We need time, Cole. The rules have changed on us again. We need time to learn about each other and get used to the way things are now. But things may not be any different in a few weeks or even a few months. Tell me you understand that. I mean really understand that."

"Rules were meant to be broken," he casually said.

"That's not what I asked," she snapped as she propped herself up in an effort to pull away.

"Don't worry," he quickly assured her, keeping his arm firmly around her to prevent her from moving, "I'm not about to make the same mistakes again. I've been given another chance, Phoebe, and I don't want to risk discovering too late it was my last chance."

"Are you okay?" she suddenly wondered aloud. "I mean with Belthazor."

"I'm whole again," he quietly stated. "But this time, my human half is stronger. I won't succumb to evil."

Scared by the comment, Phoebe pulled away, turned over, and curled into a ball. "Don't make promises you can't keep. We've all been evil even without a demonic half and you don't know that you won't come up against a stronger force."

"It won't be easy for me, Phoebe," he acknowledged. "I've been Belthazor for over a century. But I will make a difference this time, for the good. I can use Belthazor and all my powers for good. And I'm going to start by saving you and your sisters from Zankou."

"If it comes to a choice," she emphatically stated, even as she still spoke into the knees she was hugging, "I'd rather die."

Cole sat up and leaned over her, "What are you talking about? You're not dying."

She slowly turned over and gazed into his eyes, "I'd rather die than watch you give yourself up." She caressed his cheek, "I can't cope with the pain or the guilt if I have to watch you self-destruct and I certainly can't handle vanquishing you again."

"That's not what I want either," he declared as he gently pressed her shoulders to the mattress. "But I won't idly sit by if you're in danger."

Phoebe tried to scoot out from under him but couldn't under his firm grip so she stopped struggling and demanded, "You listen to me, Cole Turner, I would rather die than have you choose evil because of me."

"It won't ever come to that," he promised as he kissed her.

That wasn't what she'd wanted to hear but his kiss had deepened and all sense of rational thought was quickly lost to her own desire.

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	15. chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Look who's finally up," Piper warily greeted when Phoebe and Cole, clothed in terry bathrobes, entered the kitchen. At least they weren't dressed in matching robes. She fed Chris another spoonful of baby food, "You ready for brunch?"

"I think we've worked up an appetite," Cole quipped as he pulled out a chair for Phoebe. Paige nearly choked on her orange juice and he grinned with amusement.

"Co!" Secure in his highchair, Wyatt leaned forward and tugged on Cole's shirt. "Wanna 'Rio?"

Cole noticed the bowl in front of the youngster and looked at Wyatt's outstretched hand that offered a handful of soggy cereal. "Uh, no thanks, pal."

Phoebe giggled and tried to ignore the irked expressions of her sisters. She barely knew how she felt about Cole much less ready to hear how her sisters felt. As she poured a glass of orange juice for Cole, she announced, "I spoke to Elise and told her I wasn't up for working on the column today but that I'd give her a ring later tonight. Guess it worked out pretty well that she saw me the way she did 'cuz now she doesn't think it's one of my excuses."

Cole stared at the glass unsure how much of pouring it had been a conscious act for Phoebe. But he was feeling too good about their night, and morning, together to ruin it by calling her on it. Instead, he, just as nonchalantly, placed a blueberry waffle on her plate before taking one for himself.

Phoebe felt the electricity when her fingers accidentally brushed against his as she reached for the maple syrup. Their eyes locked and she fought every instinct urging her to take the syrup and climb onto his lap and pour --

"Phoebe!" Piper warned. She recognized desire when she saw it in her sister's eyes.

Phoebe couldn't believe her thoughts had been so transparent and couldn't glance back at Cole. Feeling her cheeks burning, she grabbed her glass and gulped down the cold juice.

Piper sighed and continued to feed Chris. She'd hoped the sounds she'd heard hours earlier had only been her headboard knocking the wall but, from the smug look on Cole's face and Phoebe's flushed cheeks, she knew differently. "Oh, Pheebs…" she shook her head.

Paige finally found her voice and complained to Piper, "Like you didn't know this would happen?"

"It's just the timing," Piper explained. "Right now we need you focused, Phoebe, on Zankou and the Avatars."

"I am focused and we are so not discussing this," Phoebe exclaimed as she shoveled some scrambled eggs onto hers and Cole's plates.

"At least not until after we discuss this," he pointedly told her.

"I'm not asking for a play-by-play," Paige muttered and pointed her fork at her sister, "but do you have a clue what you're doing? Think of all the time you've spent getting over him, all the progress you've made. You're throwing it all away for what, a one-nighter?"

"What makes you think it was a one-nighter?" Cole challenged.

"Cole," Phoebe sharply rebuked, "don't even go there!"

He held his hands up in mock surrender and swallowed a bite of eggs.

Phoebe felt a tension headache coming that had nothing to do with the aftereffects of yesterday's close call. "Fine," she griped, "not that it's anyone's business but Cole and I had some unfinished business and we spent the night working it out."

"I'll say," he teased.

"You're not helping," she frowned.

Her tone held more sadness than anger and Cole realized she was nearing a breaking point. He reached for her hand, which trembled in his, and gave it a slight squeeze. "It was a start. A good start," he encouraged her, "and maybe this time we'll find a way that works."

She couldn't trust herself to speak without crying and merely squeezed his hand back. It had been good last night and it wasn't just the sex. She'd been able to talk to him, like she'd once used to, and it was something of a relief. Maybe she wasn't ready to trust him with her entire future but last night gave her a bit of hope for…something. She just wasn't sure what and, unfortunately, Piper was right about needing to focus. "Where's Leo?" she asked.

"I convinced him to see the Elders about Kyle's turning," Piper answered more than aware of the tension suddenly settling in her sister. "Maybe you're just meant to be friends," she quietly comforted. "Demons and witches, there's a reason they're forbidden to be together."

"Not forbidden," Phoebe automatically replied while casting a glance towards Cole, "just something not…"

"Done," he finished for her as he gave her hand one last squeeze, released her hand, and took another bite of his eggs. His appetite was quickly disappearing and he wasn't sure he even wanted to get through the meal with the sisters. If only he had taken Phoebe to some secluded spot so they could continue to talk. If she pulled away now, he wasn't sure she would ever be open to the possibilities of a future with him.

Paige wasn't sure what emotion she saw flickering in Cole's eyes as he ate silently. She sipped on her juice, "Maybe it depends on the demon. Maybe there really are demons that can make the transition to the good side."

Knowing full well she didn't mean him, he nearly smiled. Paige was nothing if not relentless when fighting for what she believed. "Like a Gloryhound, for instance?"

Albeit confused by his smile, she still maintained, "Kyle doesn't have the history of evil you do. You've been a demon for over a century and couldn't break the hold of evil, not for long anyway. But Kyle's a good person and he's only been turned for what, a few hours? Maybe we can't undo what Zankou did to him but we can influence him to make sure he stays on the path he's been on his whole life."

"You can try," he shrugged.

"So it's possible to undo the ritual?" she asked hopefully.

"I doubt it," he shook his head. "And how do you plan to get him here and keep him here? You think Zankou wouldn't be able to influence him from a distance?"

"Can you sense him," Piper nervously asked, placing Chris's spoon down in the dish, "y'know like you did the Source?"

"I haven't used my radar since I…came back."

"It works both ways," Phoebe explained to her older sister, "and we can't risk Zankou finding out about Cole."

"What makes you think Kyle didn't already tell him?" Piper countered. "Kyle met Cole yesterday while you were unconscious, well, maybe not officially, and Zankou's probably busy working on some way of enticing Cole back to his side."

"Dammit," Paige exclaimed, "we're the ones who get hurt when you're a magnet for evil."

"And we're not?" Phoebe whispered, worried how much of her sister's bitterness will spill back onto her.

Piper sympathized with her youngest sister. Hadn't she felt the same so many times wondering if their only destiny was to be hurt and killed? Being Charmed naturally put a bigger bulls-eye on their backs and getting further involved with upper level demons like Cole didn't help. But she also sympathized with Phoebe understanding that they've each delved into their own dark sides. Regardless of the reasons, their turns to evil caused pain to themselves and others. She stared at Cole. Maybe Leo knew what he was doing when he brought Cole back. Maybe this time would be different. "Do you really mean it this time?" she questioned Cole.

Without taking his gaze away from Phoebe who toyed with her eggs, he nodded in reply.

"Then maybe we need to make you some sort of amulet for protection," Piper suggested, "just to be on the safe side."

Cole raised an eyebrow to her implied support but didn't comment on it. "Might not be necessary because Kyle didn't tell Zankou about me being here."

"You can't be sure," Paige argued, "and why can't you just accept the help you obviously need? Or are you just waiting for an excuse to be evil?"

"Watch it, Paige," he warned in a low tone. To Piper, he conceded, "I know a bit about amulets."

Hoping to let her sisters resolve their own issues with Cole without dragging her in the middle, Phoebe quietly asked him, "Why don't you think Kyle said anything?"

"Because he was too focused on his own agenda," he theorized, "just like the Gloryhound he is. And I highly doubt Zankou took the time to give him the third degree when he had a fresh novice begging to join him."

"Kyle wasn't begging!" Paige snapped. "He was desperate and not thinking clearly."

"Sounds familiar," Cole muttered in annoyance at her double-standard.

"At least Kyle didn't kill any innocents," she hissed as she slapped her palms on the table and stood, "and --"

"Excuse me," Kyle interrupted when he appeared in the kitchen, "but I need to talk to you for a minute."

"Kyle!" Paige gasped as she flung her arms around his neck in relief. "Oh, Kyle, I knew you'd come back. Look, the three of us will find a way to somehow --"

"You've got it wrong," Kyle gently pulled her hands free. "That's not why I'm here."

While Piper and Phoebe quickly pulled the boys from their high chairs and held them tightly, Cole stood, formed energy balls, and ordered Paige, "Step away from him, Paige. Orb to your sisters."

Paige refused and focused on Kyle, "We can help you, Kyle, before it's too late."

"The Avatars killed my parents, Paige," he accused, "and not only were you going to help them but your brother-in-law is one of them!"

"We never said we were helping them," Piper cautiously pointed out. "We only wanted to hear their side."

"They knew we weren't ready to commit to anything," Phoebe added, "and they were being patient with us."

"They were lying to you," he declared.

"The same way your parents lied to you?" Cole growled. "Don't you get it? By going to Zankou with the vanquish for the Avatars, you've given him the leverage he needs to control the world."

"Maybe the Avatars are a danger but Zankou's an evil demon, as big as they come," Paige continued as she reached for Kyle and ran her hands along his arms, "and right now, Zankou is the bigger threat and I don't want you hurt any more than you've already been."

"Then stay out of it," he requested in a gentler tone. "This doesn't have to involve you, Paige, any of you. Let me do what needs to be done, what I've spent my whole life trying to do."

"You've spent your whole life trying to help people," she reminded him.

"I'll be doing that," he smiled as he insisted, "by ridding the world of the Avatars."

"You're deluding yourself," Cole warned, "if you think siding with Zankou will make the world better. As soon as the Avatars are gone and he's become Source, he will destroy the Charmed Ones and these two babies and he will unleash hell on earth."

Kyle's hands and arms began to crackle with energy and he shouted at Cole, "Just who the hell are you? Stay out of my business!"

"How's he doing that?" Phoebe whispered to Piper.

"I thought Gloryhounds didn't have that kind of power," Piper whispered back.

Cole overheard the exchange and, without taking his eyes off Kyle, answered, "I never said they were powerless. But what good's a deadly power if you're too obsessed to know to use it."

"I'm not obsessed," Kyle declared.

"Aren't you?" Cole retorted.

Paige took a step back and glanced helplessly at her sisters before pleading with Kyle. "Just ignore him and look at me, Kyle. Please, just look at me. I want to help you. Please, Kyle."

But Kyle raised his hands and let loose streaks of electricity at Cole, heedless of Piper and Phoebe standing behind him.

Cole met each bolt with an energy ball and yelled to Phoebe and Piper to get away with the boys.

"Cole, don't!" Phoebe requested when she saw him gearing up for the kill. "He hasn't done anything yet."

"Kyle, no," Paige simultaneously cried out, "please, Kyle, stop!"

"He's going to kill you," Cole argued and aimed the energy ball in his hand.

"No!" Paige yelled. "He won't. Please, Kyle…"

Kyle warily lowered his arms that still crackled with electricity. He turned to Paige and let the anger he felt dissipate with the sparks. "I don't want to see you get hurt, Paige." He reached out to brush away her tears and tried not to react when she flinched. "Can you trust me?"

Horrified by her reaction, Paige quickly grabbed his hands and brought them to her chest, squeezing them. "I know you mean well but I'm still scared. Don't you see --"

Kyle directed their hands back to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles, "I know what I'm doing and I promise everything will be all right. Come with me, there's a lot we need to talk about."

Cole saw the temptation in Paige's eyes and cautioned her, "He's working with Zankou. If you go with him, you'll be weakening the Power of Three."

Paige glanced at him but couldn't bring herself to argue. As much as she hated to admit it, Cole was probably right. "A trap," she whispered in defeat.

"No," Kyle insisted. "I just want to talk. I have some questions about all this and I know you'll give me an honest answer."

"Why don't you talk in the other room," Piper suggested. "We'll leave you alone."

Paige looked back at him eagerly but he shook his head, "Not here."

"P3?" Paige volunteered. It might not be the manor but it was still something of home territory.

Cole exchanged a concerned look with Phoebe and was about to intervene when Phoebe suddenly swayed. He moved quickly to support her and Wyatt, wrapping his arms around both, and guided her back down into the chair. His heart pounded and he wondered if he hadn't pushed her too much. Maybe she still wasn't recovered. He picked up her glass and held it to her lips, "Drink." As she obeyed, her fingers wrapped around his but he was too worried about her to think it meant anything more than her instinctive need to hold the glass on her own. When she began to push it away, he set it back on the table and then nudged Wyatt off her lap and to Piper's side.

Piper had quickly sat in the other chair next to Phoebe. Thankfully, Chris wasn't fussing in her arms and Wyatt leaned quietly against her thighs. From the corner of her eye, she caught Paige taking a step towards them but she focused on her other sister. "Pheebs? What happened?"

"Should we call Leo?" Paige asked.

Phoebe took a deep breath and glanced at Cole whose arm was still around her shoulders. She rested her head against him and closed her eyes as she whispered, "Premonition…"

Phoebe hadn't had such a powerful reaction to a premonition since before losing her powers, Piper worried.

As if reading Piper's mind, Paige wondered, "Maybe it's partly due to what happened yesterday. She did almost die."

"It was terrible," Phoebe shuddered. "You have no idea what you're doing…" she added as she looked directly at Kyle.

"Me?" He turned to Paige, "Look, I want the Avatars to be punished for what they've done. That's all."

"It doesn't work that way," Piper sadly told him. "There are always consequences for our actions."

"And turning to Zankou," Cole angrily added, "will bring about some of the worst you can imagine."

Phoebe nuzzled Cole as if trying to erase it all, "So much blood…so much death…"

"That's enough," Cole decided, "you're going back to bed."

"Zankou's plan won't work," Phoebe announced, "Kyle, he…Everything…gone…"

"What d'you mean? What'd you see?" Kyle demanded. "How does it fail? Do the Avatars survive? Did they --"

"Enough!" Cole interrupted as he stood and reached down in order to lift Phoebe into his arms. "Phoebe's not up for any interrogation. You want to talk to Paige, do it here or don't do it at all."

Kyle glanced at Paige and apologized, "I have to go."

She grabbed his sleeve, "Wait! Kyle…" But he disappeared in a blink and she turned to the others in frustration, "What do we do now?"

Phoebe suddenly wriggled in Cole's arms and forced him to set her down on her feet. In a strong clear voice, she replied, "Now we get Zankou."

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	16. chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Phoebe continued to dress quickly, "Look, I know you're mad but give me a br--"

"You've no idea how I feel," Cole snarled. He whipped his T-shirt off the bed and angrily pulled it over his head, ranting as he did, "Did you enjoy your little performance in the kitchen? A bid for sympathy for poor powerless Phoebe? Or was it just one of Phoebe's standard avoidance patterns?"

She froze in the middle of putting on her halter-top. "Ouch," she quietly commented, grateful her back was to him. "Guess it's a good thing then that you'll be leaving to search for a dark priest," she added after securing the collar at the back of her neck. Did he really think she pretended about the premonition just to make him worry about her? Did he really think she would play a game like that? With him of all people? Why was he so angry? Not even her sisters were this mad. And why did she feel so drained that she couldn't be angry in return? Why did she just want to cry? She grabbed her shoes from the floor and announced, "I'll finish in the bathroom." She gasped and dropped the shoes when Cole yanked her arm as she reached the door.

With one hand spinning her to him and the other slamming the door to keep her in, he towered over her and seethed, "Not this time. You're not leaving me in pieces again."

"What are you talking about?" His fingers were digging into her shoulders and she struggled to free herself, "Cole, you're hurting me."

He barely loosened his grip and it took everything not to shake her. "Why don't you get it, Phoebe? I was terrified! I thought you were still hurt. You nearly died in my arms yesterday or did that event slip your mind?"

"I'm s--"

"And then to know it was only a premonition, even as bad as it was," he continued, "I couldn't have let go of you for anything, I was so relieved. And now to find out you lied about it, about it all…"

"I didn--"

"You can't keep do--"

"Cole, listen to me," she interrupted to explain again, "Kyle had to believe you were worried, that you all were worried, about me. It's the only way to make sure Zankou will come to us. He'll want to know what I saw and then we'll --"

"It's suicide!"

"It's a good plan," she maintained. "With our spell and our potion combined with a dark priest's potion, we have a real shot at vanquishing him…without turning to the Avatars." With a flash of annoyance, she questioned, "You have a better plan?" She felt his grip relax and searched his eyes for understanding but what she found was fear. Even without the full strength of her empathic power she could practically feel it pouring into her in waves. He was telling the truth. He was afraid. For her. For them. For them all. "Oh, Cole," she whispered and brought her hand up to his cheek. But he flinched from her touch and she softly apologized again for not having explained her plan, for having truly worried him. "There wasn't enough time. The idea only hit me when you realized Kyle was probably setting up Paige and there wasn't enough time to warn you. I had to play it that way in order for it to seem real."

"You could have had Piper freeze him," he calmly criticized, finally dropping his hands from her shoulders.

"I didn't think of that," she admitted when he suddenly turned from her. "There wasn't enough time…"

"That's always been our problem," he sadly acknowledged. "We've never had enough time."

Unsure where he was going with that comment, she couldn't help but agree, "There was always some plot or some demon to deal with. Always some pressure on us causing us to act and react."

"Instead of letting us be who we wanted," he nodded as he turned back to her. He saw the bruise marks forming on her collarbone and apologized in a defeated tone. "It seems I'm always hurting you."

Phoebe didn't need to look to know there'd be red splotches that would soon turn purple. She also knew that he wasn't only referring to her shoulders and held his gaze, "It seems like we're always hurting each other." For reasons she couldn't fathom, she felt the need to comfort him and assure him of…_'What the hell do I want from him? He's right. I can't keep doing this to him. I either want him in my life or not. I can't have it both ways.'_

Cole watched her confused expression and knew she was torn. _'She still cares, maybe even loves me.'_ But all he felt right now was sorrow and regret. Had they ever had a real shot at a future or had they only fooled themselves into believing theirs was to be like one of Phoebe's beloved fairy tale happy endings? Cole shook his head and finally acknowledged, "You were right about us." He knew she'd loved him and that she'd tried to make it work. They both had. But fate always twisted things and pulled them apart and only proved what she, and her sisters, had said over and over. _'Demons and witches don't belong together.'_

"When have I ever been right about anything?" she complained. He gave her a quirky smile that faded too quickly and she sighed, "I've been to blame too, Cole, and I know that, even if I can't always admit it. And I am sorry, for everything."

He gave her a quick nod of understanding but said, "I'd better get moving. If I'm not back in time, get Leo to orb you all to safety. Don't take on Zankou alone." He saw the spark in her eyes and insisted, "I mean it, Phoebe. You made me promise you something this morning and I want the same promise in return. I don't want to come back here only to find your ashes in a pile on the kitchen floor."

"Don't be silly, demons rarely attack in the kitchen," she joked in a trembling voice. But she knew he was deadly serious and she nodded her agreement before he got any more upset. "Don't you think --" But Cole had already shimmered away and she unexpectedly felt very much alone. "Be safe," she wished in a whisper, "and come back to me." And in that instant, Phoebe realized her heart and mind had spoken as one.

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"Why hasn't he come yet?" Paige wondered as she watched Phoebe pace the length of the kitchen.

"You in a rush to die?" Piper muttered as she added a pinch more powder to the potion she was stirring.

Paige rolled her eyes as Piper waved away the resulting white smoke, "I meant Kyle."

"So did I," Piper retorted. "Look, Paige, I know you're upset but Kyle's a demon now. He's confused and that probably makes him more dangerous than Cole ever was."

"How can you say that?" Paige exclaimed.

Phoebe stopped and stared at her older sister in surprise but didn't say anything.

"It's just that Cole always had a plan," Piper tried to clarify. "He was sent by the Triad and Source to kill us. And then he fell for Phoebe and betrayed them."

"And then he became the Source and tried to kill us again and then went crazy and tried to kill us, again," Paige reminded her with annoyance. "At least Kyle's been good his whole life. We can turn him back."

"What I'm saying is that good and evil was always a matter of black and white to Cole," Piper continued as she stirred the boiling potion. "He chose one or the other and we knew where we stood with him."

"Oh, was this at the same time he was pretending not to be the Source of all Evil?" Paige practically sneered.

Piper ignored the jab and told her sister, "Zankou knows Kyle's been good so he's gonna get into Kyle's head and twist everything Kyle ever knew about good to make it evil. He'll be so subtle about it that Kyle won't even realize what's happening. But let's say he does, let's say some part of Kyle is actually resisting and --"

"And let's say he is," Paige interrupted. "Kyle might just surprise you, Piper. Remember, he only turned to Zankou in order to kill the Avatars, not 'cuz he wants to work with Zankou."

"And you think Zankou doesn't realize that?" Piper let the wooden spoon rest in the pot and focused on her sister. "Of course Zankou knows why Kyle approached him but that won't stop him from trying to turn Kyle to his side completely. Zankou will make everything seem so logical that Kyle won't have any reason not to believe him. And Kyle may end up doing everything wrong for, what'll be in his mind, all the right reasons."

"So how does that make him more dangerous?" Paige snapped. "Kyle isn't some puppet. He's still the same person he was yesterday before he went to Zankou. He's just a little more focused now on his own agenda of getting the Avatars. We can make him see what Zankou is doing. I know we can."

Phoebe shook her head and resumed her pacing as she rubbed her arms up and down, "This is all too new and strange for Kyle. If a part of him's fighting Zankou's influence, he won't be able to handle us too. More likely, he'll resent our interference, or worse, he'll attack without realizing what he's doing. Our best bet's to concentrate on Zankou and worry about Kyle after it's over."

"If we're still around," Piper muttered. "Y'know, Pheebs, it's practically winter. If you wore sleeves, you might not be so cold."

Phoebe shrugged but continued pacing, "Figured we'd end up down there for the fight and you know how hot it gets there."

Either she was too tired or her sisters were starting to make some sort of weird sense to her and Paige grudgingly asked, "So then why hasn't Zankou gotten here yet? Maybe Phoebe's plan's off-base."

"It's not, I can feel it," Phoebe answered distractedly. "Kyle reported to him and he's probably searching for a new Seer to confirm what I saw."

"But she won't be able to," Paige countered, "because you faked it."

"He'll be too suspicious to discount it," Piper replied.

Phoebe nodded and leaned against the counter, "He knows the power of the Charmed Ones and won't make a move until he gets absolute confirmation by coming straight to the source."

"No pun intended," Paige quipped.

"Huh?" Phoebe uttered.

Phoebe was obviously distracted by Cole and Paige shook her head, "Never mind." After a knowing look from her older sister, she hesitantly handed Phoebe a leather cord necklace. "I barely had time to do a thorough search for info at Magic School but I think this crystal should protect him."

Phoebe gaped at her younger sister, "You made the amulet to protect Cole?"

Paige shifted uncomfortably in her spot. It wasn't as if she'd completely forgiven Cole for everything he'd done and she hoped Phoebe wouldn't make too big of a deal about it. "Piper had to make the potion." She watched Phoebe gaze at the clear flat-shaped round quartz with a mixture of hope and fear and found herself saying, "I did come across something else that might help." Phoebe turned to her expectantly and she stammered, "Sometimes for a, well, blood helps, that is, y'see…" She took a deep breath and started over, "If a witch makes an amulet for a…loved one, then…" She noticed Phoebe immediately glance away at the word and she sighed when she realized that, knowingly or not, Phoebe had made her choice.

"Go on, Paige," Piper softly encouraged. She'd seen the way Phoebe's eyes lit up when Paige confessed. As she'd known from the moment Cole appeared in the attic, Phoebe wouldn't let him leave this time and it made her very proud of her youngest sister to put her own feelings aside for Phoebe's sake. It would be hard for them to accept him back into their lives but now wasn't the time to debate the good and evil of Cole Turner. "What about blood? What would the witch do?"

Easier to answer Piper than to look at a beaming Phoebe, Paige replied, "She would coat the amulet in her blood and recite a spell. The problem is that once it's bound to her, if anything happens to her, the amulet is weakened. And if she dies, well, the amulet becomes completely useless."

"What if something happens to the amulet?" Piper worried. "Does it work in reverse? Would the witch die?"

"No," Paige replied. But just as Piper sighed in relief, she cautioned, "But she'd be weakened and it wouldn't be something that would get better after a few days rest. She'd still have her powers but she'd be changed forever."

Piper nodded somberly to Phoebe, "Guess it's your choice then."

"How strong is it supposed to be?" Phoebe asked her younger sister. "I mean is it a one-time-only thing just for going against Zankou or is it meant to last?"

Paige shrugged, "I'm not sure but I'd imagine the amulet would protect him for as long as he wears it."

"Wait," Piper suddenly asked, "what if someone else were to get hold of the amulet? Would it protect them too? Or is it something meant only for Cole?"

"Again," Paige shrugged, "not sure. When I was enchanting the crystal, I did mention Cole by name so it's possible it's only going to work for him. I'd guess that if Phoebe did bind it, it would definitely be only for him but I'm not sure." She turned and was surprised by tears streaming down Phoebe's face.

"Phoebe?" Piper uttered in concern. "Honey, what is it?"

Phoebe reacted by hugging Paige tightly, "I'm so sorry."

Paige rubbed her sister's back and looked to Piper with confusion. "For what, sweetie?"

"I didn't know he would come back," Phoebe sniffled.

"None of us did," Piper agreed as she finally turned off the burner under the potion. "No one's upset with you for it."

"But you know…you both know…"

"That you want him back," Paige finished for her sister as she exchanged a glance with Piper. "Yeah, I don't think that was a secret from anyone but you and Cole."

"But I don't know how to do it," Phoebe whispered in a choked sob, "I don't know how to move forward. I don't know how to make it different this time." She pulled away and wiped her eyes, "I don't know if it's even possible for us to be together." She stared at the crystal wrapped in her fist, "Maybe I should just let him go on with his life. Maybe it'll be the only way to make sure we won't hurt each other, the only way we'll be happy."

"One step at a time, Pheebs," Piper suggested. "Let's worry about Zankou and the Avatars and save your love-life for another day, okay?"

Phoebe sniffled and hugged Paige again, "Thank you so much, Paige. I know how hard this was for you and --"

"I love you, Phoebe," Paige interrupted. "I just don't want to see you, any of us, hurt."

"I love you too, Paige," Phoebe whispered, "so much." She finally pulled back and tried to compose herself, "Is there…is there a specific spell to recite?"

"I didn't have time to read through it all," Paige apologized, "and I don't think I have time to go back."

"Maybe we should just leave it as a regular amulet," Piper suggested. "He'll be okay, Pheebs."

But Phoebe shook her head, "I'm not taking that chance." She took one of the small glass bowls Piper had emptied while making the potion and said, "I'll have to come up with something on my own and hope it works." She placed the crystal in the bowl and picked up one of Piper's knives. Just as she was about to cut herself, she requested of both sisters, "I don't want Cole to know about this."

"But, Phoebe --"

"I mean it," Phoebe interrupted. "If Cole knew I'd bound myself like this, he'd never wear the amulet. He'd disappear off the four corners of the earth before he'd risk anything happening to me, especially if he realizes he'd be targeted simply as a means to hurt or kill me."

"Nothing's going to happen to you," Paige argued.

"We thought the same thing about Prue," Phoebe quietly countered as she sliced her left wrist and allowed the blood to drip over the crystal. Staring into the bowl she chanted, _"My Halliwell blood's bound to amulet and will protect thee, Cole. For thy good soul will remain safe from evil intent and kept whole."_

"A bit old-fashioned," Paige mused, "but look…" The crystal glowed a pale pink and she murmured, "Guess it worked…"

Piper quickly opened the drawer with all the first aid equipment and readied a bandage for Phoebe's wrist. "Honey, I think that's enough." Phoebe winced when she began to clean the wound and she apologized, "I don't think it'll need stitches but I'll feel better when Leo heals it after he comes back from dropping off the boys at Magic School."

Phoebe shook her head and exhaled slowly, "Personal gain, I think."

"You did it for Cole," Paige argued. "Besides, we'll need you in top fighting form."

Phoebe wordlessly acquiesced to her sisters and lifted the cord from the side of the bowl. The dangling crystal had stopped glowing and she watched as blood dripped back into the bowl. Her body tingled slightly but she chalked it up to blood loss. "Would you mind rinsing it, Paige? I'm gonna check the Book again for anything on Zankou."

"You rang?" Zankou questioned when he suddenly appeared in the kitchen.

Both Phoebe and Piper instinctively took a step back from the demon standing opposite them.

"I believe you have some news of the future you wish to share," he said to Phoebe.

"My powers aren't what they once were," she advised him.

"I'll take that chance," another Zankou declared when he appeared behind Phoebe, grabbed her, and flamed out of the kitchen.

"Phoebe!" Paige shrieked.

"She'll be fine," Zankou assured her. "Perhaps she'll even have a new job lined up before evening's end," he cryptically remarked before fading away.

"He astral-projected," Paige realized.

"And he has Phoebe," Piper groaned.

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	17. chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Cole shimmered into the kitchen and announced, "I've got a dark priest waiting at the mausoleum so your potion had better be ready." He glanced around, "Phoebe upstairs?"

Paige cringed as she informed him, "Uh, she's gone…Zankou was, uh, here."

Without thinking, Cole fired an energy ball at the small vase of flowers on the table.

"Hey," Piper exclaimed, "I just got those from Leo!"

"I should've known better than to trust her," he muttered before growling, "Why the hell didn't you stop her?"

"It's not like we had a choice," Paige snapped, "Zankou surprised us with that astral-projecting and --"

"What do you mean?" he interrupted.

"Just what she said," Piper said with annoyance. "Zankou appeared in the kitchen and then another Zankou appeared. He grabbed Phoebe and they all disappeared."

Cole couldn't even feel relieved that Phoebe hadn't broken her promise because the end result was still the same. She was in trouble and the Charmed Ones were separated. "Get the potion," he ordered, "the priest won't wait forever."

"You can't mean we'll leave her with Zankou?" Piper gasped.

Paige was also stunned by his unwillingness to go after Phoebe. Wasn't he supposed to be so in love with her he'd risk everything to prove it? "Dammit, Piper, this's what we get for waiting for him to help us get her."

Piper ignored her sister's comment and hissed a warning to him, "I am not losing another sister."

"Zankou doesn't want her dead," he sharply replied, "at least not yet. And we can't recklessly attack."

Her head understood even if her heart couldn't quite accept it and she reluctantly sighed, "So we get the potion ready and then go after Phoebe."

"What!"

"He's right, Paige," Piper said as she poured the potion into and empty jar, "we can't lose the opportunity to properly vanquish Zankou. I hate it too but we don't have much choice."

"Too bad we can't ask Phoebe her opinion," Paige complained.

"Phoebe would agree," Cole stated simply as he recalled the promise Phoebe had wanted him to make earlier when they'd been in bed. She had such fear of giving into evil and letting evil win, she would never want them coming for her instead of making the potion to vanquish Zankou.

Piper stared at Cole and knew there was more to his comment but she didn't press him. Instead, she sealed the lid and then tossed a small empty vial each to him and Paige. "We'll need these after the potions are combined." She then pocketed two vials herself and told Cole, "Ready."

"Wait a minute, why can't you just bring the priest here?" Paige wondered as Piper joined her. "What if he tries something? Aren't we better off having him come to us? We're stronger in the house, especially when we're down a Charmed One."

"Exactly why he won't come here," he told her, trying not to lose patience with the mounting passage of time. "He won't risk taking on the three of us alone on your magical base. Look, it's not like you look under "D" for Dark Priest. We're lucky I found one quickly, and one who's willing to go up against Zankou, at that, so let's move."

"We're probably lucky enough he even agreed to go to the mausoleum," Paige grudgingly agreed. "But how do we know his potion will work? Won't he still try to double-cross us?"

"Of course he will," he replied matter-of-factly, "he's a demon. But he won't fool with the potion because Zankou is a threat, one he'd like to be rid of."

"Is Zankou really that much of a threat?" Piper asked. When Cole nodded, she sighed, "I guess I was hoping everyone was exaggerating. I don't know that we're ready to go up against another Source."

"He's not Source yet," he confirmed. "There's been no coronation and while he has made some powerful plays, he also hasn't accomplished the one major feat that will secure his position."

"Killing the Charmed Ones," Paige grumbled.

"Or the Avatars," Cole shrugged. "Fact is, many of the upper level demons are worried about him taking over but aren't in a position to do anything about it. Without a Source, they've had the chance to grow and do whatever they wanted without repercussion. Some, as I've also learned, have even made their own unsuccessful bids for reign. But under someone like Zankou, who has the power to absorb others' magic and the cunning to plan first before striking, they'll lose the freedom they've gained without a ruler and it'll be a long time before they're ready to challenge him. No demon truly wants to serve another but it's all part of the deal."

"So it's join the Source or die?" Piper quipped.

"Something like that," he frowned. There'd been a time he'd been one of those demons eagerly climbing the ladder of demonic success impressing the Source, never once dreaming he'd one day be Source. And it wasn't easy revealing even this much to the sisters when memories of what he'd done as Source were still so fresh in his mind, as well as in theirs. _'How long before Paige makes some dig about me being the big bad evil Cole?'_

"So if he's not Source yet, do you really think we stand a chance at vanquishing him?" Paige questioned hopefully. "We barely convinced a demon to help, how're we gonna do this without the Power of Three?"

"Quit being so negative," Piper chastised. "Between the three of us, we'll get Phoebe back and we'll vanquish Zankou and then we'll try to save Kyle. So listen to Cole and be ready to move fast. Got it?"

"Got it," Paige said even though she was still worried they were going to lose both Phoebe and Kyle. _'Which might not even matter if we don't survive Zankou.'_

Momentarily surprised by the sisters' interaction, Cole stared the pair. Were they too worried about Phoebe or were they saving their snipes about him for later? _'Or is there really some thawing happening here?'_

"Cole?"

He shook his head clear and asked, "Do you have the spell because if the vanquish doesn't work, we can only hope he'll be weakened enough for you to send him back into stasis."

"You didn't answer me about the priest," Paige reminded him as she showed him the piece of paper she'd kept folded in her pocket. "What're we gonna do about him double-crossing us?"

"He'll probably try something after the potions are combined," he surmised, "so be ready, Piper, because I don't plan on letting him return to the Underworld."

"Won't he be expecting that?" she worried.

"Of course he will," Cole rolled his eyes, "but we'll be faster."

"Damn right," Piper agreed as she held hands with Paige. "What're you doing?" she exclaimed when Cole suddenly became Belthazor.

"You didn't think I searched the Underworld as Cole did you?" He didn't wait for an answer and gruffly ordered, "Let's go."

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"So, Phoebe," Zankou smiled as he circled her in the cavernous room, "tell me more about your vision. Something, I believe, about blood and the end of us all…"

Her wrists shackled to the ground in front of her, Phoebe knelt before him and tried not to keep her head bowed. She wasn't humiliated by her capture and had no intention of seeming subservient but following Zankou as he circled her was only making her dizzier than the blow to her head was already doing. He had easily sidestepped her attack when he'd brought her there and had called for a pair of demons to subdue and chain her. Actually, she nearly grinned, she was pretty proud of herself for holding out as long as she did. But Kyle had watched the whole fight without lifting a single finger to help her and she glared in his direction, "What're you, five, and sulking 'cuz we wouldn't help you fight the Avatars? Think about your life, Kyle. For crying out loud, you make a living catching the bad guys, not being one!"

"I haven't forgotten it was the Avatars that made me an agent," he quietly stated from the shadowed wall of the cavern. "They killed my parents and sent me on this path."

"He's only fulfilling his destiny, Phoebe," Zankou offered. "Surely you, of all people, understand that." She didn't respond and he knew he'd struck a nerve. "Now, back to your vision. My protégé here believes you were quite upset by what you'd seen."

Phoebe glanced at Kyle and decided it would be useless to appeal to him again. "The images were blurry."

"And yet you were so insistent," Zankou commented.

"And it's hard to recall anything after your goons used me as a punching bag," she snapped.

He grinned from the fire he saw in her eyes. She would make an excellent demon. _'That fool Belthazor may not have been such a fool after all when he focused on this Charmed One.'_ He cupped her chin in a tight grip and tilted it up, "As you have already witnessed, my "goons" have paid for their failure."

Not that she was upset he'd killed his own men, Phoebe still rattled her chained wrists and tried to shake her chin free, "What failure?"

"They couldn't chain you without your hurting them first," he released her, "and I've no need for the services of those who can't manage such a simple task."

"Gee thanks," she sarcastically quipped. And yet, she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride from the backhanded compliment. But, almost immediately, she frowned and wondered if that pride was a weakness on her part, whether it meant she was already being swayed to evil.

"Perhaps I'd best tell you about your vision," Zankou suggested when the witch seemed distracted.

'_What's he up to? There wasn't any vision.'_ But Phoebe said nothing, merely stared at him and waited.

"You spoke of blood and death, that my plan would fail, and that everything would be gone," he summed. "Quite clever had you faked it, for I would have come to you, and you would have surely tried to vanquish me. But, such as it is, I was prepared when I came because, as you know, there is truth to your vision."

"Of course there is," she lied. "My power doesn't lie."

"Ah," he smiled again, "but it's not entirely accurate, is it? Particularly these days."

Somehow he knew about her power only recently returning and not at full-strength. "Been a stressful time," she calmly commented, "and emotions affect powers and you know how emotional a woman can get under stress. Oh, wait, you don't. So let me tell you, there are times we can be positively explosive from something as simple as the seat being left up but that's nothing compared to what two pissed-off witches can do when their sister's been kidnapped."

Amused, Zankou watched her tug in frustration on the chains. "The oracle I sought also saw failure and destruction, though not mine. But she's young, barely a century old, and her predictions have always been uneven. Rather like yours, I imagine." He tilted her chin up, gentler this time, "Still, you're a witch of great magic and perhaps with the right persuasion you'll be able to have a more accurate vision. And, since I seem to be short a Seer, perhaps this arrangement will work out well for the both of us."

"In your dreams, Demon-Boy," she sputtered at the thought of giving into evil. "I will never let evil win."

"Not even to save your sister?" He smirked as her anger gave way to fear. "Yes, I know all about your deal with the former Source. The first one you vanquished, that is. Amazing what one learns in stasis. Now about the future you saw…"

"I told you," she fired back, burying her concern for her sisters, "there is no future if you go after the Avatars!"

"The Avatars are going to pay for what they've done!" Kyle threatened as he darted towards Phoebe. "And I won't let you stop me!"

"Of course the Avatars will pay," Zankou soothed him with a restraining hand, "now that we have the vanquish for them." He turned back to the witch, "You see, Phoebe, the Avatars will be destroyed and then no power will stop me. Not even the mighty Charmed Ones."

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Paige tried not to fidget as she watched one of the dark priest's flasks warm over a burner. On the bier, he had set up a system that could rival any scientific laboratory and she was suddenly glad she no longer drank. She shivered and hugged herself. The dimly lit place was way too creepy and she wondered how her sister ever felt safe there. Glancing at Belthazor, however, she realized it wasn't the place but the person. She sighed and wondered what to do about him. In spite of all Cole's help and of everything he'd said, she still wasn't comfortable that he was back, that Belthazor was back. But she loved Phoebe and Phoebe wanted him, all of him, and she'd have to find some way to co-exist with him.

As if reading her younger sister's thoughts, Piper whispered to Paige, "It'll be okay, we'll find a way. We've just gotta stick together no matter what." She nervously watched the wrinkled old priest add drips of colored liquid to various tubes and was amazed his robe's sleeves hadn't caught fire from the burners they'd kept skimming. _'Talk about fire retardant. Wonder if I can whip something like that up for the boys and stains.'_

Paige gave her sister's elbow an encouraging squeeze. "He hasn't said a word," she whispered back, indicating with a nod towards Belthazor who stared at a scorch mark on the floor.

"Lotta memories for Cole here," Piper acknowledged. "His father's here and Phoebe first saved him here. That's," she pointed to the mark, "where she lied to us and told us she'd vanquished him."

The human part of him was surprisingly stronger than ever and Belthazor struggled under the emotional flow of that memory replaying in his mind. He growled as feelings of love bubbled to the surface. _'I couldn't kill her that night and she couldn't kill me. She actually saved me after I saved her.'_ And now it was happening all over again. He was going to save her from a worse demon and ask her to believe in him, believe in his love for her. But would she do it again? When he saved her, would she find it in her heart to forgive him and let him back in? _'And how far will I go to prove myself to her? Maybe it's time to let go and find some peace.'_

"It's done," the demon announced. Pulling his hood over his head, he grabbed one of the flasks by its neck and waved his other hand over the bier causing all the extraneous equipment to disappear. "Bring your potion," he ordered Piper.

With Paige right behind, Piper held the jar close and cautiously approached the opposite side of the bier. She looked to Belthazor after he moved next to her and finally placed the jar on the marble surface. She held in a gasp of surprise when a very large beaker suddenly appeared next to it.

"Begin pouring when I do," the priest instructed, "and be sure to let it flow exactly as I do. The potions must be combined at exactly the same rate or we needn't worry at all about Zankou."

Her mouth suddenly dry, Piper couldn't even respond with a 'Yes.' She merely picked up the jar and began slowly pouring it while the priest poured his into the same beaker. The newly combined potion began to smoke but Piper refused to let it distract her as she tensely, yet steadily, poured the liquid.

When his flask and her jar were each empty, the priest closed his eyes and chanted in a low humming tone.

The potion began bubbling and swirling in multiple colors, setting off an occasional spark or two, and Piper had no idea if it was supposed to do that. She nervously glanced at Paige who shrugged in reply.

The priest opened his red eyes and proclaimed, "It's done."

"You're sure it will work?" Belthazor questioned.

"I'm sure it's done," he replied. "Whether it's successful will depend on how strong Zankou truly is. Now, about my payment…"

"Yes," Belthazor bared his teeth in an evil grin, "about your payment…"

But before he could kill the priest, an arrow shot through the air and Paige let out a shriek before orbing from his side. Belthazor spun and easily killed the attacking Darklighter. "Is that the best you've got?" he questioned the dark priest as he turned around.

Piper immediately ducked from an incoming fireball. "I'd take that as a no." Crouching, she managed to blow up one of a pair of ugly brown alien-like demons. She winced when she realized she'd left the potion in the open. "Paige, get it!"

"Potion!" Paige called out and, the instant the beaker orbed to her hand, she orbed out of the mausoleum.

"It's been a pleasure, Priest," Belthazor gloated as he killed the robed demon who tried to use the distraction to flame out. It had been close but he was satisfied.

At the same time, Piper disposed of the last demon. She remained standing back-to-back with Belthazor in a defensive stance in case anyone else would attack.

After a few moments, Belthazor morphed back into Cole, "It's over."

"Then let's get Paige and find Phoebe," Piper exhaled in relief.

"I'm here," Paige announced as she orbed in with Leo.

Leo immediately went to Piper's side, "Are you okay?"

"She's fine," Cole brusquely stated. "We've got the potion and we're going. Unless you'd like to put your powers to some good and join us…We could probably use all the help we can get."

Torn by the offer, Leo apologized to Piper, "I can't get involved."

Disappointed, Piper shook her head, "You've always considered her a sister. You'd never have turned your back on her if you were just an Elder."

"I'm afraid there's more at stake now."

"Oh goody," Paige rolled her eyes, "Mr. Avatar's here. Just Perfect."

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	18. chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Not nice," Piper chastised her younger sister, though Leo's comment bothered her too. She never liked putting Leo on the spot, forcing him to choose between her family and his calling, but Phoebe's life was on the line.

"Make it quick, Leo," Cole impatiently suggested.

"Think about it, Cole," Leo urged. "You know what an Avatar can do when it comes to manipulating time and space. And I know you're all too familiar with every choice you make having a consequence."

"Get to it," Cole practically snarled. He had no desire to rehash the past with any of them, certainly not now when Phoebe was in such danger.

"He's trying, rather delicately, to tell you," a new voice revealed, "that if you save Phoebe, you will kill her."

"Great," Paige muttered, "now Mr. Avatar really is here."

"Well, we've got no intention of killing our sister," Piper declared, "so unless you've got another fairy tale --"

"Hear him out," Leo interrupted before apologizing to his wife, "please, Piper, you need to be prepared…"

"It's no fairy tale," the head Avatar maintained. "It's tragic but it will happen if you go after her."

"Then," Cole decided, "I won't go. Besides, now that they have the potion, they won't need me." He watched the sisters' jaws drop and explained, "We all know he means I'm the one who'll kill her. Phoebe's right about me and what I am and I refuse to put her, or you, in any more danger because of it. I'll wait here for you, just in case, and then I'll leave…for good."

"Phoebe's rubbed off on you," Paige mused. "And that's not necessarily a good thing."

'_Insulting both me and Phoebe, that's different,'_ Cole thought. "You're running out of time and I'm not going to arg--"

"Running away isn't the answer," Piper interrupted. And before Cole could deny her comment, she continued, "I know you don't want to hurt her but Phoebe's decided she wants you in her life and that means living and dealing with all the consequences that come with you, including Belthazor."

'_She decided what?'_ Cole was taken aback by the revelation. He knew Phoebe still cared but was positive it wasn't enough to change her mind about their future once the danger passed. Now he was torn between desire and practicality. Did she really want him? Was she really willing to risk her life for all the dangers he brings? Could he test her resolve at the risk of her own life? Or would it be better for all of them if he left voluntarily?

"Besides," Paige added, "I've got a bad feeling we will need you. So maybe," she glared at the Avatar, "Phoebe will die if you don't come with us. Isn't it better that we at least try to save her?"

"What did you see?" Cole asked the Avatar.

"You find Phoebe and free her and then proceed to twist her neck until it snaps," he answered gravely. "This is not like the world you created, Cole, where life returns to normal if you fail. If Phoebe dies, it is permanent and not even we will be able to bring her back."

"You've the power," Cole countered as he weighed the odds.

"True," the Avatar conceded, "but when we're so close to achieving Utopia and after having just lost one of our own, we won't be able to expend the massive quantity of energy required for such a task and still achieve our goals."

"Understood," Cole nodded. "Let's go," he told the others.

"Wait," Leo called out as he grabbed Piper by the elbow, "you're still going to risk Phoebe's life?"

"Do you have a better idea?" She sighed, "I don't want to lose my sister, Leo, but the only chance we have at saving her and stopping Zankou is if we all go."

"One last thing," Cole suddenly questioned his briefly former colleague, "why did Phoebe have a vision of a demon-free utopia? Are all demons immediately vanquished when the change occurs?"

The avatar stroked his beard before replying, "Perhaps we should save that conversation for the proper time."

Why would Cole have suddenly asked about it and why didn't the Avatar give a straight answer? Paige didn't like the scenarios running through her mind and requested, "How about now? You need our help so badly, answer the demon. What happens when the world turns into a utopia? And what exactly do you expect us to do to make it happen?"

"Nothing dangerous," the Avatar assured her. "We will simply add your powers to ours as we work the spell."

"And the demons?" Piper wondered, growing more suspicious about the Avatars than she'd been the day before.

"Shall be trapped below," he answered simply. "And those that are above at the time of the change shall be rendered powerless with no means to return. They will be easily vanquished by witches and the like."

Paige was still trying to figure out the downside to that part when Cole spoke.

"And what about humans who behave like demons? What about the abusers, thieves, rapists, and murderers?"

"They shall be dealt with," the Avatar responded. "Don't let it worry you. The world will be a peaceful place."

But if anything, Piper was more worried. "Dealt with, how?"

"Peace can't exist without conflict," Cole shook his head, "and it seems to me that you'll be playing gods in order to determine that conflict won't exist."

The Avatar glanced from one face to another, "We will only step in when conflict reaches a boiling point, if you will. Minor arguments, of course, will still exist. But full-scale fights and wars will cease to be."

"Because you'll make the dissenters cease to be?" Cole accused. "Will you really wait until a boiling point to intervene?" Without waiting to hear an answer, he ordered the sisters, "Let's go. We'll deal with this later…if there is a later."

"We cannot allow there to be dissension," the Avatar called out, "else Utopia cannot be maintained."

"And that's why there's no such thing as true utopia," Cole disagreed as he turned to the witches. "You'll be losing your free will which --"

"It isn't like that," the Avatar interrupted. "There is beauty awaiting every living being in Utopia."

"It's your beauty and it isn't real," Cole argued. "The hypocrisy of you warning me against changing the world…"

Piper watched the Avatar wordlessly disappear and she hesitantly kissed Leo's cheek and softly told him, "We have to talk later."

"Be careful," he whispered to her before stealing another kiss. "I love you…"

Piper gazed at him a moment before turning back to Paige and Cole. "Give me your vials so I can fill them with the new potion." She filled up her own two before filling up Cole's.

"Damn, I almost forgot," Paige exclaimed when she pulled her vial from her pocket. She handed her vial to Piper and then showed the amulet she'd pocketed earlier to Cole. "I forgot to give this to you before. I got the instructions from one of the basic protection spell books at school."

"You made it for me?"

Paige shrugged as she handed it to him, "Piper was busy with the potion and Phoebe was busy, uh, with you." She watched him examine it and advised, "It should be strong enough especially now that Phoebe, uh…"

Cole's eyes narrowed their gaze on her when Paige abruptly stopped speaking. "Now that Phoebe what?"

"Nothing," Piper quickly assured him. "Phoebe just added her own spell to the amulet, don't worry."

Even through his T-shirt, the crystal felt warm against his chest. It felt like Phoebe. _'What did you do, Phoebe?' _And why was he suddenly scared? "Piper?"

"Later, Cole," she firmly told him as she handed Paige the last vial and linked arms with her sister.

Resisting temptation to dwell on it, he transformed into Belthazor. "Let's go."

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They entered the cavernous chamber and Paige and Piper rushed to their sister who was chained to the ground.

Phoebe raised her head and smiled wanly, "Took you long enough."

"Oh, Pheebs, we've been looking for almost an hour…" To Piper's relief, the cuts and bruises on Phoebe's face and arms seemed superficial and she turned to Belthazor, "Can you do something about those chains?"

When Piper stepped aside, Phoebe saw who approached. Unable to keep from gasping and shrinking back from him, she quickly apologized, "You took me by surprise."

Unwilling to show any emotion to her immediate reaction, he simply said, "I understand." Holding her wrists by the shackles, he yanked hard and pulled the chains free from the ground.

"Ow," Phoebe quietly uttered. "What now? I can't exactly go dragging these around as we go for Zankou."

"An energy ball might still incinerate your hands," he gruffly told her. "Piper?"

"I've never been quite so specific before," Piper worried. "And with my powers weakened down here, I might not be able to focus enough and I'll blow up her hands too."

"Let me try," Paige suggested. When no one argued, she stepped back from her sister and held out her hands in front of her, "Phoebe's chains." In a moment, the chains appeared in her hands. Caught off-guard by their weight, she nearly dropped them as she teetered for a moment trying to maintain her balance.

Piper hugged her freed sister, "You don't know how scared I was, especially after the Avatar made that prediction about us killing you."

"Well I'm still here so leave the predictions to me," Phoebe laughingly suggested before pushing herself free from Piper's arms. "Now we'd better move while we still have the chance to get Zankou."

"You know where he is?" Paige asked as she tossed the chains to the ground.

"He said he'd be waiting in one of the Source's chambers for some report on the Avatars," Phoebe replied as she hurried to the doorway and slowly peered into the corridor.

"The guards are dead," Belthazor announced. She'd barely looked at him. Either he was overreacting to her behavior or she was really afraid of him now that she'd seen him again.

"Of course they are," she commented with a slight smile, "I know you're good at what you do. Sorry, nerves…"

"So how do we find the Source's chambers?" Piper wondered before sheepishly looking at both Belthazor and Phoebe. "Sorry, I guess we can't put some things to rest yet."

"I guess not," was all he replied as he stepped over a demon's body and led the way.

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They'd been walking for nearly twenty minutes when Phoebe suddenly stopped short in front of a doorway to a dark chamber. "Wait. In there…"

"I don't think we should be stopping," Paige warned her sister.

"No, something's there," Phoebe insisted. "Don't you feel it? We have to go in."

"Don't get distracted, Pheebs," Piper told her as she tried to peer into the blackness. "It's too dangerous."

"If it makes you feel better, why don't you," Phoebe indicated to Belthazor, "go first?"

"It's probably a trap, Phoebe," Piper suggested. "We've been lucky 'til now so let's not push it and just get to Zankou before we're discovered."

"No," Phoebe refused to move. "We need to go in here first. I'm telling you, it's safe. I can feel it…"

"Fine," Belthazor growled, "wait here."

But when Piper noticed that his amulet had begun to glow a deep shade pink, she grabbed his arm to stop him. It would only glow if he was about to be put in danger. "Phoebe, wait…Don't go in there."

"Don't be silly," Phoebe smiled as she moved past Belthazor, "I'll show you there's nothing to be afr--"

Belthazor cut off her comment by grabbing her back. As she struggled in his grip, he ordered Paige to throw a rock into the chamber. When Paige quickly complied, they were thrown back off their feet by an explosion.

Coughing and getting to her feet, Piper stared at her younger sister in surprise, "Phoebe, what the hell were you thinking? I told you not to go in there."

Phoebe had barely gotten to her feet when Belthazor had her in a chokehold. "What the hell's wrong with you?" she hoarsely demanded. "Now the vanquish for Zankou's gone. Let go of me."

"What vanquish?" Paige wondered. "Did Zankou tell you it was there? Phoebe, it was a trap. He was using you to bait us. We'd've been killed if we'd gone in there."

"No," Phoebe rasped. "I fought him, fought them all. It was safe to go in there. The vanquish was there…"

"The only vanquish for Zankou," Belthazor harshly informed her, "is the one we've created." He tightened his grip around her throat, "What did Zankou do to you?"

"Nothing…He did nothing…And you're insane," she accused. "Vanquish him, Piper. He's evil and I wan--"

"Do it, Cole," Piper interrupted in a tearful whisper. The Avatar warned them what would happen. It was obviously too late. Phoebe was already lost the time they made it to the Underworld to save her.

Paige realized what her older sister meant and gasped, "Piper, no…"

Piper gazed directly at Belthazor and pleaded simply, "Just do it."

He didn't hesitate and twisted Phoebe's neck with a snap. He let her body drop to the ground and braced himself for her sisters' reactions.

Paige's knees buckled and she sank to the ground in shock, "My God, Piper, what have we done?"

Belthazor stared at Phoebe's body and tried to reign in his emotions. "We did what we had to do. What I'd promised her I'd do."

"Which was what, exactly?" Paige asked as she hesitantly reached out and brushed a lock from Phoebe's face.

"That I'd let her die before I'd turn evil or let her turn evil," he confessed tonelessly.

"What makes you think you're not evil?" But even Paige didn't quite believe her own question. She knew he'd been in danger as an innocent or the crystal would never have glowed as it did. Phoebe meant for him to enter that room, meant for them all to enter. "Maybe she didn't know what she was doing. We didn't even try to save her. Maybe there was something we could've done…"

Piper, standing behind both sisters, couldn't handle the thought of second guessing her decision and she numbly asked Belthazor, "What now?"

"We go after Zankou," he stated. "We go after him and destroy him."

"And then we'll come back for you," Paige promised her sister before gently kissing Phoebe's forehead.

"Maybe we can convince the Avatar to change his mind," Piper whispered as she hugged Paige when Paige stood. "Maybe if we agree to create a utopia, he'll bring her back."

Paige glanced down at Phoebe's body, "I hope so, Piper, because I don't know what we'll do without her."

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They walked along the corridor each lost in personal thoughts about Phoebe. As they approached the wide opening to another dark cavernous chamber, Belthazor motioned for the sisters to remain flush against the wall. He armed himself with energy balls and entered. "What the hell?"

Paige and Piper quickly followed and, when their eyes grew accustomed to the dim torch light, they gasped in surprise and cautiously neared the figure chained to the ground.

She slowly raised her head and smiled wanly at her visitors, "Sure took you long enough."

"Phoebe?" Piper uttered in shock as she and Paige hovered in front of the prisoner.

"In the flesh," Phoebe groaned, "sore as it is. So how 'bout some help now," she rattled her chains, "so I can go and kick some demonic butt."

"Shapeshifter," Belthazor growled as he remained standing in the shadows just inside the doorway. He knew how good shapeshifters could be and was determined not to let this one's act get to him. And yet they could use her to get to Zankou. "Free her, Paige." When she hesitated, he held up the crystal, "No danger now. Go."

"It took a while the last time," Paige resisted.

"Guys, what's the hold-up?"

"Go ahead," Piper softly encouraged. "One step at a time."

Paige repeated her earlier performance although this time she was prepared for the weight of the chains. She stared at Phoebe before tossing the chains to the side. While a part of her wanted to believe this was her sister alive and well, there was another, louder, part screaming that Cole was right about it being a shapeshifter. Maybe this time they'd play along longer and find out information about Zankou's plans.

Piper reached for Paige's hand and clenched it. She was so afraid of believing that this was really Phoebe. The Avatar was adamant they'd kill their sister which they've already done. He didn't say they'd kill a shapeshifter so this Phoebe in front of them had to be a shapeshifter. But how much danger would she put them in before they could get to Zankou? _'Or will we have to kill her first? I don't know that I can watch my sister die again even if it isn't really her.'_

Phoebe sat where she was and rubbed her newly freed raw wrists. She looked up at her sisters in annoyance, "Y'know, even a little hug might be nice about now…I swear I ache in places I didn't even know existed."

She complained like Phoebe but Piper was still afraid to believe. "Get up, Phoebe, and let's get going."

"Figures you're mad at me for something…" Phoebe grumbled as she got to her feet by herself. She almost lost her balance when she suddenly realized Belthazor was guarding the doorway. Her hand covering her heart she quickly apologized, "You took me by surprise."

"Likewise."

"Huh?" Phoebe glanced in confusion from one to the next. "All right, why're you all acting so weird?"

"Phoebe, go to your safe place," Piper instructed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Paige's eyes widened, "Piper, we can't let her go. She's probably a de--"

"I know what I'm doing," Piper interrupted as her heart pounded in her chest with hope.

Phoebe hesitated, "Piper, I don't think this's the time…"

"Just go to your safe place," Piper demanded. "Now!"

Phoebe took a moment before she stood in front of Belthazor who remained motionless. She gazed up at him and slowly leaned into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Oh, thank God," Piper sighed in relief as she wiped away a tear from her cheek.

Only the real Phoebe would have known about that safe place so Belthazor was convinced of her identity. He'd almost forgotten how small she could seem to him while he was in this form. When she sighed quietly, he slowly allowed himself to relax and return her embrace. Phoebe was alive and, for the moment, that was all that mattered.

Frustrated by Phoebe's snuggle-time-out with Cole, Paige exclaimed, "Will someone tell me what's going on?"

"I've got no idea," Phoebe replied as she pulled away and patted Belthazor's chest, "but we don't have time. Zankou's waiting for a report on the Avatars and then he's gonna move."

"Where've we heard that before?" Paige worried. "I suppose he's waiting in the Source's chamber…"

"How'd you know?" Phoebe wondered in surprise. She looked up at Belthazor, "I think he deliberately chose it and was gauging my reaction. He thinks I'm going to become his new seer."

"Oh, I know you will," Zankou commented with confidence when he flamed into the chamber. "The oracle may not be entirely accurate but each reading she did had you at my side." He noticed the way Phoebe stepped closer to the demon at her side. _'She doesn't even realize she's doing it. Of course, as it is Belthazor, perhaps she does.'_ He smiled at the demon and greeted, "Welcome home, Belthazor. Perhaps you can convince your mate of the benefits of being at the top."

"And perhaps you should say hello to the Source when you meet him in hell," Belthazor spat as his hands clenched into fists.

"I might, if I were headed there," Zankou smiled knowingly, "as I'm not…"

"Says who?" Piper challenged as she showed him her two vials of potion.

"Interesting," he acknowledged. "However, which is more important to you? Vanquishing me or saving an innocent?"

"What innocent?" Paige asked, her stomach turning in knots at the thought of him referring to Kyle.

"And so," Zankou folded his arms across his chest in satisfaction, "we arrive at your test. Will the Charmed Ones fight for the greater good or will they risk everything for one neophyte demon?"

"Where's Kyle?" Paige demanded.

Zankou glanced at his wrist to a watch he didn't wear, "Right now, I'd say he's about to vanquish an Avatar."

"You're lying," Phoebe accused with quickly waning confidence.

"Ah, Phoebe," he grinned, "you know me better than that. Now make your choice. Time is running out."

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	19. chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"For you maybe," Piper warned before shouting to the others, "Now!"

Paige and Belthazor immediately reacted and threw their vials at Zankou at the same moment Piper threw hers.

Zankou was consumed in pale grey smoke and colorful sparks flew. He groaned in agony as his shape distorted.

"It's working," Paige happily realized.

"Not…if I…have any…thing…to say…about…it…" Zankou's form ultimately held together and he fell to his knees. He shot an aimless fireball toward the witches as he coughed painfully in order to clear his lungs.

Paige immediately orbed out of the fireball's path while Belthazor shoved Phoebe behind him and, just barely, blocked it with an energy ball of his own.

"Source's vanquish..." Phoebe suggested as she quickly joined Piper and Paige.

Holding hands, the three chanted the spell Phoebe had created two years earlier and they waited with baited breath as Zankou was caught in a new whirlwind of smoke and sparks.

But there was no explosive boom, just a loud poof, and when the air cleared, Zankou was still there, lying before them on the ground. "Foolish witches," he whispered as he began to push himself up. "You think you…can defeat me…when the Source himself couldn't?"

"We defeated the Source," Paige hotly declared. "We'll defeat you."

"Look to the future, Phoebe…Know that I'm meant to rule. And know you belong…" Angered by his weakened state, he straightened his back and stood tall before them. "Join me and I might let your sisters live…if only to amuse myself from time to time."

"Never," Phoebe declared, wishing her voice sounded more emphatic. Could she never atone for her evil past life? Could she never find happiness in a life filled with good? She glanced at Belthazor and wondered if she had been wrong in wanting him to change. _'If I can't manage it, how could I ever expect him to?'_

Belthazor knew Zankou's words were cutting into Phoebe's soul. She was always trying to prove herself worthy, to rid herself of an evil taint, and it was one of her flaws when it came to him that she always equated his failures as her own and vice versa. But this wasn't the time for soul-searching. "Focus," he cautioned her.

"The other spell…" Piper reminded her sisters.

To give them time to get their papers, Belthazor fired a large energy ball at Zankou who was thrown back to the ground but was not destroyed. He fired again.

"Enough," Zankou spat as he retaliated with three small fireballs. But he knew they wouldn't do much damage and decided to retreat before the witches recovered. Without another word he flamed out of the chamber.

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"What're you doing here?" Kyle asked in surprise when Zankou appeared in his living room. "If the Avatar sees you, I'll lose my chance."

Zankou cleared his throat which still burned from the unsuccessful vanquish, "I'm afraid the witches have necessitated a change in our plans. You will still challenge the Avatar. Only now you will not use the vanquish. I'll need the Avatar alive in order to absorb his powers as I kill him."

"No!" Kyle shouted as he shoved Zankou across the room with the flick of his wrist. "We had a deal! You promised me my revenge!"

Zankou hit the wall and slid to the floor where he sat for a moment both stunned and pleased. "Your powers are growing," he commented as he slowly picked himself up off the floor. "Good…very good…"

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"Damn!" Belthazor exclaimed when Zankou disappeared. He turned to the sisters who were beginning to sit up after having dived to the ground when Zankou fired at them. "You're hurt," he realized when he helped Phoebe to her feet. He gently touched her shoulder to examine the burn.

"I barely feel it," she replied looking at it.

"It's the rush of adrenalin," he commented. "Leo needs to heal you." He spotted a similar nasty burn on Piper's arm. "All of you."

"We need to find Zankou," Piper argued as she joined the pair, doing her best to ignore the pain. "He's hurt and it might be our last chance to send him back into stasis. We shouldn't've tried the Source's vanquish."

Phoebe tried not to sound so defensive when she replied, "That vanquish spell's the strongest we've got. I thought it could work with him hurt."

"Well we still have our stasis spell," Paige commented. "We'll defeat him."

"If we can find him," Piper complained shaking her head. "We shouldn't've risked using that spell."

"We don't know the stasis spell'll work any better. We've never used it before," Phoebe told her. "Using the Source's vanquish spell made sense."

"But who knows what he'll do now," Piper uttered in disappointment.

"We'll find him before he can do any damage," Paige assured her older sister.

Phoebe agreed, "How?" She hesitantly turned back to Belthazor, "Would it be safe for you to…" She shook her head and didn't finish. This wasn't his fight and it wasn't fair of her to keep expecting, demanding, his help. They'd find Zankou another way.

Belthazor informed her, "Demons have already sensed my presence even if they're unsure what exactly it is or what to do about it. I can handle it." And he quickly added, "I want to help. And you need it."

"I don't want you in danger, conflicted," she quietly admitted. "Not because of me. Not anymore."

"Likewise." He couldn't help but grin, baring his sharp teeth. Maybe she was changing. Maybe there was hope after all.

"Creeps me out when you do that," Paige shivered before announcing, "Zankou's probably with Kyle."

"I doubt it," Phoebe disagreed. "He's hurt and needs to recoup first. Kyle's too new to be of any help."

Piper nodded, "He's probably looking for some demonic doctor."

"I might know a place to start looking for him," Belthazor offered.

"I told you where he is," Paige spoke up. To the skeptical looks she received, she reasoned, "Zankou absorbs powers of those he kills and he told us that Kyle's about to kill an Avatar."

Following the same train of thought, Piper paled, "Zankou's gonna kill the Avatar and get those powers."

"He'll become invincible," Phoebe worried.

"Not even the Avatars are invincible," Belthazor declared, recalling his own failure. "They can be killed."

"If we had the vanquish," Piper anxiously reminded him, "which we don't."

"But Kyle does and we're wasting time so let's go," Paige said as she reached for Piper's hand.

"But we still don't know where to look," Piper cautioned. "Kyle could be anywhere."

"Maybe Leo could sense an Avatar in danger the same way he does for us," Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know, it's worth a shot."

"No," Piper resisted, "I don't want him in the line of fire. I have two boys to think of."

"Let's start with Kyle's apartment," Paige suggested. "I know him. He's waited his whole life for this so he probably went there to pick up something of his parents'. Y'know, to wave in front of the Avatar as his brand of justice before killing him."

"Okay," Piper slowly agreed, "but if Zankou's not there and Kyle is, we're going to stop him first."

Paige nodded understanding that her sisters wouldn't hesitate to use deadly force against Kyle if it meant saving an innocent, even if that innocent was an Avatar. She cast a side-long glance at the red demon gazing at her sister and wondered if this was how Phoebe felt being caught between someone she cared about and an innocent. Was Kyle now the same as Cole? _'Am I ready to put everything on the line on the faith that Kyle can overcome his demonic nature?'_ And more importantly, if she still wanted Kyle in her life, how could she want to deprive Phoebe of wanting Cole in hers?

Phoebe tapped her younger sister on the shoulder, "Paige, honey, you okay?"

Almost as if he knew what the young witch had been thinking, Belthazor promised, "Save him if you can. I won't interfere."

"You may have to," Paige sadly acknowledged. "C'mon, let's go."

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"Freeze them!" Belthazor shouted to Piper the instant they appeared in Kyle's apartment. At the same time, he fired an energy ball at Zankou who was thrown off-balance but wasn't harmed by the energy ball before he was frozen by Piper.

"Release Cole," Phoebe requested. "We'll need him to make sure Zankou doesn't escape."

Paige ignored Piper's compliance because she was too horrified by the sight before her. Kyle's potion had already been thrown and exploded in front of the female Avatar and the dark grey smoke had risen enough to touch her nose. And he was in danger from the Avatar's lightning bolt that had almost reached him. But, maybe worse, Kyle probably didn't see that Zankou had fired a fireball at him from behind. She tried to push Kyle out of the way but he was still frozen. "Unfreeze Kyle," she requested.

Piper shook her head with a grimace, "It's taking all I have to keep them all frozen…"

Paige indicated to Belthazor, "But you unfroze him without a problem."

"Don't argue," Piper snapped, "Zankou's started moving."

"I'll fire at Zankou," Belthazor announced. "Phoebe, get ready to grab the Avatar. Paige, you get Kyle."

"Ready," Piper whispered as she released the others, "now!"

Leo orbed into the melee at the same moment that Phoebe and Paige pushed down their charges and Cole attacked Zankou. But he immediately put his confusion aside and orbed Piper out of the line of Zankou's unfrozen fireball.

"Say the spell," Belthazor ordered while keeping up his barrage of energy balls against a raging Zankou.

Paige and Phoebe jumped up to join Piper and the three huddled together as they recited,

_"Being of evil, Zankou, depart from our sight,_

_Into limbo will you remain forever from this night."_

A ring of fire surrounded Zankou and, as the circle became smaller, he threatened, "The day will come when I'll be released."

"When hell freezes over," Phoebe muttered.

"You won't live forever," he retorted while he tried firing at them. But the fireballs exploded harmlessly against an invisible barrier caused by the circle of flames.

"Your descendents will pay," he warned.

As if in reply, the sisters continued,

_"A dimension alone shall this limbo be,_

_Never to be found, you will never be set free."_

Before Zankou could react, he was engulfed in flames. And, with one final scream of agony, he disappeared in an explosion of red and orange sparks amid a cloud of thick black smoke.

The sisters were thrown back with Leo and all collapsed in a tangled heap.

"Ow," Paige complained as she tried to pull her arm free after all the smoke finally cleared.

"You're burned," Piper noted as she brought her hand to her forehead where Phoebe's hand had knocked her.

Surprised, Paige looked down at her torn shirt, "Must've happened from the Avatar's bolt when I pushed Kyle down." She looked across the room to him. "Kyle?"

Kyle got to his feet and raised his hand to attack the Avatar who was still prone in the spot that Phoebe had pushed her.

"No," Belthazor stated as he grabbed Kyle's arm and twisted it behind the younger demon's back.

Phoebe and her sisters had just gotten to their feet when Leo suddenly sagged against her. She spun and reached for him just as Piper darted to his other side.

Leo's knees buckled completely and, despite the sisters' support, sank to the floor. "She's dead," he whispered.

"No," Paige disagreed, staring in shock at the Avatar, "that, that can't be. The smoke barely touched her."

"She hasn't moved," Belthazor informed her while maintaining a strong grip on the struggling Kyle. He suddenly felt an invisible force push him back but he withstood it and yanked Kyle's arms. "Don't make me hurt you," he snarled, fighting the temptation rising within him, calling for blood.

"No one wants to hurt you, Kyle," Phoebe promised, hoping Kyle wouldn't provoke Cole into losing control. "It's over now, it's all over."

"She's dead," Leo repeated as sweat beaded his forehead.

Piper sat next to Leo and drew him into her arms. She kissed the top of his head and slowly began to rock him. He'd barely recovered from the other Avatar death and now this. "You're gonna be okay, Leo. You hear me?" But Leo didn't respond and she only squeezed him tighter.

Kyle finally stopped struggling and noticed the being holding him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Good question," Belthazor replied with a knowing glance to Phoebe. "Care to answer?"

Phoebe glared at him. He was Cole Turner. He always had been, in spite of the demon he was.She just had to learn that it was wrong to keep trying to separate the two. But now wasn't the time. "You're --"

"What have you done?"

Kyle turned his head to see the newly materialized lead Avatar and he began to struggle more fiercely, "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Not without the vanquish which you already used," Paige sadly noted. Would there be anything left of the good man she cared for?

"How does revenge feel?" Belthazor questioned while his former colleague knelt beside the fallen one.

"Not like I'd expected," Kyle glared.

"That's the problem with revenge," Phoebe rationalized. "It doesn't bring the dead back or make you feel better."

"I didn't say I didn't --"

"Leo's going to die," the Avatar interrupted.

"Then you'd better make sure he doesn't," Belthazor warned in a low growl.

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	20. chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Piper gasped and hugged her unconscious husband tighter. "Hold on," she encouraged him, "hold on."

Phoebe was sick to her stomach at the thought of Leo dying. He couldn't, not after everything he and Piper had been through to get back together. "There must be something you can do."

"I'm sorry, Phoebe," the leader apologized, "but Leo's an Avatar and was exposed to a poison for which there's no cure."

"Then make him not an Avatar," Piper hissed as tears streamed down her cheeks. Leo couldn't die.

"I've got more of the potion," Kyle boasted. "I'll kill you, each and every one of you."

"Remove Leo's powers so he can be healed," Belthazor ordered the Avatar, "and I'll make sure this one doesn't kill you."

"Can you do that?" Phoebe wondered.

Simultaneously, Paige had asked Kyle, "You have more of the vanquish?"

"You think Zankou was gonna let the only one be used without having back-ups?" he countered. "As soon as enough's manufactured, every upper level demon'll be given a bottle of it to increase the chances of killing Avatars. They won't stand a chance against us."

She was really beginning to worry about this unexpectedly bloodthirsty side to him. "It's over now," Paige patiently told him, "you've gotten your revenge. But Leo's hurt because of it. Please, Kyle, let it go."

"Not until they're all dead," he maintained through gritted teeth.

Belthazor squeezed Kyle's arms in a nearly bone-crushing vise, "You're a fool, just like all other Gloryhounds."

"Please, Kyle, you've spent your life helping people. Don't give that up," Paige implored.

"Gloryhounds obsess over one thing to the exclusion of everything else," Belthazor reminded her.

"Help Leo," Piper pleaded, "before it's too late."

The Avatar scanned the faces of those in the room before closing his eyes and raising his hands to the ceiling. Both he and Leo began to glow in amber light. After nearly half a minute, Leo's aura separated from him into a large ball of light that hovered in the air before soaring through the ceiling.

His eyes fluttered, "Piper?"

"Oh thank God," Piper murmured, hugging him tightly in her arms. "You're gonna be okay, honey, you're gonna be okay."

"He is as he was before he joined us," the Avatar explained. "And as an Elder once again, he may now be healed by one of his own."

"I'll take him," Paige quickly decided as she knelt next to Piper and Leo. "Don't worry, sweetie," she promised her sister, "I'll bring him right back good as new."

But Piper couldn't stop shaking after Paige orbed her husband away and she barely felt Phoebe's arms encircle her. "I can't lose him, Phoebe, not now."

"Shhhh, you heard Paige," Phoebe soothed. "She'll get an Elder to heal him and he'll come right back. He'll be fine. You'll see." She looked up at the Avatar, "Can we go ahead with Utopia?"

Piper immediately pushed herself free from her sister's arms, "What? How can you even think about that now?"

"But Piper," Phoebe said as she, following her sister, scrambled to her feet, "Zankou's gone for good. Now's our chance to make this a better world."

"I know how badly you want your little girl to grow up in a peaceful world without demons, Pheebs," Piper shook her head, "but I still have too many questions about how it'll all work and not enough answers."

"You're crazy," Kyle shouted, "I'm not gonna let you do this…"

"Hold still," Belthazor warned him, "or it'll be the last move you ever make."

"It makes no difference," the Avatar spoke, "because we no longer have the power to make Utopia happen."

"Maybe you need someone better than us," Phoebe suggested.

He smiled at her, "Right now, there are none as strong or as trustworthy as the Charmed Ones. Understand, the collective of Avatars has been drastically depleted of power by the successive deaths of two members… friends…and we no longer have the required energy to transform the world." He observed Phoebe's crestfallen expression and clarified, "But we will…eventually. And perhaps then you'll be ready to accept our offer."

"We're ready now," Phoebe insisted.

Acknowledging Piper's motion to argue, he smiled again, "No, Phoebe, you're not. Your sisters have too many questions and you, you're conflicted too. You heart wants to believe but you don't, not completely."

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be," he said. "This is the furthest we've ever come in our quest for making the world one of peace and harmony and I've no doubt we will achieve it in the near future."

"Don't give me that," Belthazor scoffed. "You know damn well there'll be consequences and repercussions to your plan. All your promised peace won't ever become a reality."

"Consequences, yes, but it will be a --"

"Leo!" Piper exclaimed in relief when he suddenly orbed into the apartment at Paige's side. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm okay," he softly assured her. "I love you, Piper." He relished the strength he received from being in her arms. Although he'd been healed physically successfully, he felt drained emotionally. He'd managed to avoid answering the Elders' questions but knew it was only a matter of time before he'd have to face them with the truth of what happened. _'And then I'll have to accept the consequences of my choices.'_

"What'd we miss?" Paige asked her sisters, wishing Kyle wasn't still struggling in Belthazor's grip.

The Avatar turned to Belthazor, "Use this opportunity wisely and learn from your mistakes."

He knew why the Avatar would no longer trust him to rejoin the collective, "I don't need to become one of you. I never did."

The Avatar glanced at Phoebe and nodded, "I understand now. Good luck, then." He then turned to Leo, "In time, when we are stronger, we will return and extend to you the same opportunity."

Leo's arm was wrapped around Piper's shoulders and he shook his head, "I'm happy being exactly what I am."

"We all are," Piper agreed. She smiled when she caught sight of Paige's emphatic nod.

The Avatar regarded Leo with mild amusement. Leo would return to the fold in time because the chance for peace and happiness would be irresistible to him. "Goodbye……for now," the last words echoing as he disappeared from the apartment taking his dead colleague with him.

Paige approached Kyle and gently brushed his cheek with the back of her hand, "Let me help you."

He jerked out of her reach and was further angered by the demon restraining him. "You let him get away!"

"They can't hurt you," Leo told him. "And they can't change the world. It's over."

"I'll find them," Kyle swore. "I'll spend the rest of my life hunting them down."

"Which will prove to be extremely short if you continue with that objective," Belthazor angrily predicted.

Kyle indicated to Phoebe with the snap of his chin, "Ask the witch. She'll tell you the truth, the truth that Zankou believed. The Avatars are finished and we will rule."

"Except that I lied," Phoebe told him. "I lied in order to trick Zankou. There was no vision."

"What? But that oracle or whatever she wa--"

Phoebe shook her head and interrupted, "I faked that vision in the kitchen, Kyle. I'm sorry, but I used you as bait to tempt Zankou and it worked. We destroyed him."

"Not exactly," Belthazor corrected.

"Close enough," Piper said. "He won't ever be freed, not even after we're long gone from this world."

"Amen," Paige whispered.

Kyle made a move in Phoebe's direction but Belthazor continued to restrain him and threatened, "Don't even think about it."

"Doesn't matter," Kyle grunted, "They'll pay. I'll kill them all!"

"Won't do you any good without the vanquish," Belthazor snarled, "and I'm sure Zankou didn't trust you with its location."

"I'm good at finding things," Kyle sneered. "Just like I found the witches and Zankou, I'll find the vanquish."

Piper suddenly froze Kyle. "I'm sorry, Paige, but they're both ready to lose it."

"Me? I'm in complete control," Belthazor defiantly declared. He focused on Phoebe and growled in annoyance when she averted her gaze. He immediately morphed back into Cole's form. "Didn't believe I could do it, that I could remain in control?" he accused her. "Didn't I protect you all? Didn't I let Kyle live?"

"Didn't you once tell us that Belthazor got stronger the longer you're in that form?" she quietly countered. "We've never seen you as Belthazor for such an extended period of time and Piper didn't want to risk it after all you've been through today."

"It's different now," he insisted.

"Just like that," Paige snapped, "you're cured?"

"Temptation will always be there," Cole calmly admitted, "but I am in control. It won't be any different for me now than it is for you fighting your own evil urges."

"Me you mean," Phoebe commented with disappointment. Somehow they'd taken two giant steps backward.

"This isn't the time," Leo refereed. "Right now we have to figure out what we'll do about Kyle."

"He's a danger. I'll take care of him." Cole made a move towards the frozen demon but was stopped by Paige.

"He needs a chance," she explained. "Just like the one you've wanted."

"Except I've wanted it to show I can do good," he argued. "Kyle's incapable of that now."

"No, I don't believe that. He just needs to remember who he is," Paige desperately replied. "He's still good."

Noting that Phoebe was quietly keeping her distance, Cole leapt at the chance to get away for a while and announced, "I know someone who might be able to help. I'll start looking for him."

"Who?" Paige asked suspiciously.

"A Mercury Demon I know. Not well but I'm sure he'll be interested." To keep their anticipated outrage to a minimum, he quickly continued to clarify, "Kyle's a demon now and he'll need to learn about his breed but I can only help so much in that area. He needs someone more knowledgeable about such things and this demon's a virtual walking encyclopedia."

"But a demon, Cole?" Piper frowned. "I don't like the idea of sending Kyle to the Underworld. We might never get him back."

"You're right, Kyle should remain up here. And that's the beauty of this particular demon," he smiled knowingly, "Drake wants to be human."

"What?" Paige exclaimed in disbelief.

"He loves the arts…" Cole shrugged, "music, literature, movies, you name it. It's a win-win situation. Kyle stays under your influence and learns to control his powers while Drake has the chance to live out some of his dreams."

For the first time all day, Paige began to feel some hope, "Are you sure?"

"I can count on one hand the number of beings I trust completely," he stated in a serious tone. "I may not know him well but Drake is one of them."

Piper gave him a hard look and believed him, "Good enough for me." Then she waved off everyone's look of surprise, "It's been a long day. Now, how long will it take you to find this Drake?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I know he likes to attend musicals so I'll start with Broadway in New York." He had begun to shimmer when Phoebe called his name. "All I'm doing is shimmering to different theatres. Nothing lethal in that," he retorted before she could say another word.

All she'd wanted was to ask that he keep in touch and it stung to know that he'd thought she was about to warn him to be good. But at the same time she was angry with herself for feeling that way. Of course he'd think that because that's all she'd been drilling into him from the moment she'd learned about Belthazor. It was one more on the list of things she had to change about herself. But maybe a break right now was what they needed even more. Too much had happened too soon and they each needed time to adjust before they caused irreparable damage to their fragile relationship. "Never mind…"

Cole realized she was holding back her original statement. But from her tear-filled eyes, he understood it was better not to probe further. He'd watched the different emotions flicker across her face and he sighed inwardly at their sudden inability to communicate. Or maybe it wasn't so sudden. It had been a long day with so much happening in such a short amount of time. Maybe this break now would be good for them. Maybe after he found Drake he'd be able to spend some time with her and talk about their future, if they still even shared one. He nodded again to her, hoping he conveyed his apology and intentions for after the search. When she mouthed her farewell, he shimmered from the room.

"So what now?" Piper asked. "I can't keep him frozen forever."

"Let me take him some place safe," Leo advised, "where he won't be able to get away and won't harm anyone."

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	21. chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

In a rush to get back to school, Paige flung open the front door with annoyance and was completely taken aback by Cole standing before her. "Cole…"

"Paige," he greeted with a quirky smile, "long time no see."

"Nine days, eight nights, but who's counting?" she shrugged. "Look I'm not trying to be rude but --"

"Oh never that," Cole rolled his eyes.

She let it go, "Look, I've really gotta get back to the school. Besides, Phoebe's not here. She does work, y'know."

He shook his head, "I'm not here for Phoebe. I'm here for you." He smiled from her stunned reaction and assured her, "Nothing sinister. Honest. Drake's kept me informed about his progress but I wanted to hear from you how you thought it was going with Kyle."

"Okay…I guess," she waved him inside but stayed in the foyer. "I don't know, it's hard to tell. Sometimes I think he's back to his old self but other times…Other times I see the demon he's become and I wonder if Kyle's really gone after all." She paused a moment and added, "I don't know how you and Drake came up with that deep undercover cover for him or how you convinced his supervisors but you bought us a couple of weeks where his job's concerned. I don't think he's quite ready yet to face the regular world again."

"His whole world's been turned inside-out, Paige. It'll take time," Cole empathized. "Kyle's learning about a powerful part of himself that he never knew existed. It's a lot to take in." She silently nodded and he said, "But you caught him early enough after his transformation. With enough good influence surrounding him, monitoring him, I think the odds of saving him fall more in his favor each day."

Suddenly Paige felt awkward, "Y'know, it was really…good what you did for him. I mean you could've burnt him to a crisp or snapped him in two but you didn't. You went against your instincts and gave him a chance. And then you found Drake who, well, he's character all right, but he's…I…I like him. We all do. He's funny and charming and can be a complete goofball at times making him fit right in and…and he's not just helping Kyle…When he's hanging around, he reminds us of, of…well, of lessons we seem to have forgotten and…and we're learning…"

Both satisfied and relieved she'd unknowingly confirmed Drake's reports, Cole nodded, "Thanks for giving Drake that teaching position."

"Against my better judgment," she complained, "but he's definitely got a way with those kids."

"Yeah, well, thanks anyway," he turned to the door.

"Any other demons who want to be good or human that we should know about?" she called out. "I mean, first there's you, then this other Seer, now Drake?"

He faced her again and nearly smiled, "In the Underworld, who knows…I'll do my best to warn you first."

"You really are different," she commented, "changed, I mean. You seem more, I don't know, at ease, confident."

"I've been to hell and back," he explained, "and have been given more second chances than I deserved. And I won't take it for granted or blow it this time."

"Phoebe wouldn't agree," Paige said. "She believed you deserved those chances."

"I wasn't prepared," he argued. "Phoebe exposed my soul to me and I wasn't prepared for the onslaught of conflicting emotions. And everything happened so fast that I only had time to react, never to absorb and adjust. I don't know, maybe Phoebe and I were only meant to meet so she could free my soul. Maybe we're not destined to be together."

"Or maybe you are. Look, Cole, I don't have any answers," she sighed. "And I can't predict the future. Maybe you and Phoebe will get married and have ten kids or maybe I'll vanquish you next week. Just do your best, that's all we can ask."

Speechless by her change in attitude, he turned back to open the door. "Okay then, see you around."

But Paige darted forward and grabbed his arm, "What I mean is, thank you." She felt him stiffen before he faced her and she tried to lighten the moment, "Yeah, it sounds unbelievable to me too." He snorted lightly and she returned a shy smile, "I'm serious, though. Thank you for what you did, not just for Kyle but for us too."

"Phoebe already thanked me when I found Drake," he informed her with a shrug.

"But I needed to say it too," she said. And, somehow, doing so lifted a weight off her shoulders.

"It still doesn't make up for the past though, does it, Paige?" he asked. "I never wanted to hurt any of you. I --"

"I know," she interrupted. "I know you're sorry for what you did and I know you didn't always have a choice. This whole mess with Kyle's forced me to look back on the past with a different eye now."

"But you can't forgive me, can you?" he realized.

"I'm sorry," she apologized with a shake of her head, "but you hurt me, Cole. You targeted me and hurt me real bad. I still…I never told her because I don't want her to feel more guilty than she still does but I…I still have nightmares. I still relieve some of those moments and…" He was about to interrupt but she cut him off with another shake of her head, "But I think I'm ready to leave it in the past, to take a leap of faith, and move forward. Maybe it's time we all did."

"Maybe you should talk to her."

"Maybe I did," she grinned slyly. But the grin faded quickly, "It's different for Phoebe. She's not just terrified of trusting you again, she's terrified of trusting herself again."

"I know, Paige," he sighed, "but neither one of us can change what happened and, no matter what we each say, we can't seem to move past it. She's too afraid of me turning evil, of herself giving into the evil."

Paige shook her head, "She's more terrified of something else." She waited for him to look directly at her, "She's afraid of losing you, Cole. She put her whole being into loving you, into your future, your family, and when it was torn from her, she nearly lost herself in the process. She went from one extreme to another, one obsession to another, until she finally settled into something of a comfortable life. And I don't think she can handle that happening again."

"And now that I'm back, I'm ruining it all for her," he commented with disgust at having hurt her again.

But Paige disagreed, "Now you're back to save her. Yeah," she chuckled, "I told you it's unbelievable to hear."

But he doubted her statement, "Does she even want to be saved? By me?"

"C'mon, Cole, you know her," she countered. "Phoebe wants you back because she's never stopped loving you."

"So, I repeat," he sighed with exasperation, "what now? How does she, do we, move on?"

"You take it slow," she instructed. "Start simple with no pressure, no expectations. Take her to dinner. Take in a movie. The important thing is to just get to know one another again."

Cole stared at her a moment and forced himself to realize that she was entirely serious. Not only was she giving her permission to try again with Phoebe but she was giving him pointers. But he didn't want to push his luck and decided to go, "Thanks, Paige." And as he shimmered away he could hear her faint, "You're welcome."

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"All right, Halliwell, what the hell is this?" Elise questioned as she angrily burst into Phoebe's office.

Phoebe glanced up at her boss with disappointment. She'd worked hard on that column. "You didn't like it?"

"Look, Phoebe, no games, the clock's ticking," Elise told her. "And I need your column in my hands this minute."

"Aren't you holding it in your hands?"

"What I am holding is your list of things to do this week," Elise glared, "and your shopping list."

"Oh my God," Phoebe groaned as she dropped her head into her hands on the desk. "I must've attached the wrong file," she mumbled. She picked her head up again and apologized before turning back to her computer, "I'm printing you a copy right now and e-mailing it."

"It's him, isn't it?" Elise accused.

"Him, who?"

Elise eyed her, "You're not still sick are you?"

"No, I told you, I'm fine now," Phoebe replied as a light bulb went off in her head, "oh, him. I haven't seen Cole in a week."

"That doesn't mean he's still not messing with your head," Elise maintained. "This isn't the best time for you to lose focus. I need you to be honest with me. Do you need a leave of absence?"

"Of course not, no," Phoebe quickly exclaimed. "I just attached the wrong document, Elise. It's nothing, I swear."

Elise stepped inside the office and closed the door behind her. "Phoebe, you know I like you, I care about you."

"And I appreciate that, Elise," Phoebe assured her. "You opened the door for me to express myself in a way I never imagined I could and you've given me so many chances to prove myself. And somewhere along the way I discovered you weren't the dragon lady I thought you were."

"Hmmph…" Elise sniffed before teasing, "And I discovered you're not the flake I thought you were."

"I'm just a little confused about Cole being back," Phoebe admitted, "but I promise not to let it affect my work."

"Is he back?"

Knowing what Elise meant, Phoebe shrugged, "I guess so…that's the problem, I give all this advice to strangers and don't have a clue what to do for myself."

"Do you want him back?" Elise watched Phoebe struggle to answer and ordered, "No. Don't think about it. Give me your gut reaction. Do you want him back?"

"Yes," Phoebe whispered.

"Then go for it," Elise declared. "Forget what everyone else thinks, all that matters is what you think."

Phoebe avoided her gaze by retrieving the copy of her column from the printer. "It's complicated," she finally said.

"And that surprises you? Life is complicated, Phoebe," Elise stated. "I know this guy hurt you and I know you're afraid to trust him again but you have to move on with your life."

"I can't go through it again," Phoebe nearly cried. "It almost killed me the last time when it fell apart."

Elise sympathized, recalling Phoebe's state of being at that time, but said, "Then you have to decide which pain would be worse, the pain of it all going wrong by taking a chance or the pain of letting it all slip away by not taking a chance."

"I'm not sure I know how to make it happen and I don't know that we should even try." Phoebe shook her head, "I just don't know how to make it work this time."

Elise took the page from Phoebe's hands, "You take is slow, one day at a time. Learn about each other again. Start simple, go to dinner or a movie."

A knock on the door spared Phoebe from commenting and elicited a shout from Elise, "What!"

Phoebe's assistant poked her head in and apologized for the interruption, "But there's some guy here for you, Phoebe."

"Not a good time," Elise warned.

"He's got flowers," the young woman revealed with a smile. And, in a voice barely above a whisper in case he was listening, she added, "He's really hot, too."

Elise rolled her eyes but nodded to Phoebe, "I told you, start simple. Now take a deep breath before you hyperventilate on me." To the assistant, she ordered, "Send him in."

Carrying a bouquet of wildflowers, Cole cautiously entered . "Bad time?"

"No," Elise answered, "Phoebe's about due for a break. But she's in the middle of an important project so I don't want you taking up too much of her time." When he nodded, she poked him in the chest with the paper that was getting crinkled and threatened, "You want to live to see next week, you remember what I said about messing with her. You don't want to have to answer to me."

"I'm sure I don't," he replied, catering to her mood. He glanced at Phoebe and wasn't sure what to think from her nervous and anxious expression.

"Keep it simple and in public," Elise continued to instruct him. "Don't bring it here. Remember there are always two sides. And give her space when she asks for it."

Now he grinned in amusement, "Anything else?"

"I expect a front row seat at the wedding and a bottle of the best bubbly money can buy for doing her job and giving smart sound advice," she smirked before turning around to Phoebe. "Remember, one day at a time."

Phoebe nodded and watched Elise leave the office. But she couldn't speak yet and ended up gazing at Cole.

Cole finally broke the silence by shoving the flowers at Phoebe. "You used to like these."

She snapped free from her thoughts and admired the bouquet, "I still do…thanks."

"Phoebe, I think we need --"

"Cole, we need to --"

Speaking simultaneously broke the tension and both laughed for a moment before Cole asked, "So would dinner be okay?"

"I'm working late," she replied. But, lest he think she was putting him off, she quickly suggested, "Can you come by here around seven?"

"I'll be back," he agreed with a relieved smile.

"I'll be here," she assured him with a grateful smile.

An hour after Cole left Phoebe's office, both were still smiling.

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	22. epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Four Years Later…**

Phoebe lifted her daughter and swung the little girl around again. "I love you, ladybug. Now no more talk about demons, okay?"

"Because we'll talk about them when we get home," a gruff voice commented from behind them.

"Daddy!"

Her daughter reached for her husband who had managed, as usual, to sneak up on her unnoticed. For half a moment she wondered if she'd let her defensive instincts slide too much and that maybe a workout session with him might be a good, if not fun, idea. But as their daughter climbed over into his arms and the boys cheerfully greeted him, she avoided meeting his intense gaze. She'd recognized the anger their daughter surely missed and she could quote his next line of the argument. "Don't start," she warned with a public-friendly smile, "this isn't the time or place."

He ignored his wife and asked his daughter, "And why do you want to talk about demons on this bright and sunny day?"

"Wyatt and Chris said that demons're comin' to get us," the little girl tattled. "But Momma says there's no such thing, right, Daddy?"

"The boys know better than to talk about demons outside the house," he carefully said. "Isn't that right, Wyatt and Chris?"

Knowing they'd messed up, both boys stared at their feet and glumly replied, "Yes, Uncle Cole."

"And it won't happen again, will it?" he inquired. Both boys shook their heads and he took in his daughter's gleeful expression. "They made a mistake," he told the not quite-four-year old, "and they're sorry for scaring you. Now what do you say to them?"

"I fogive you," the little girl dutifully told her cousins.

"Forgive, sweetie," Phoebe automatically corrected with a slight smile. "You forgive them."

"That too…"

Cole couldn't help but chuckle and nuzzle his daughter's neck sending her squirming with peals of laughter.

"Uncle Cole?"

Concentrating on maintaining his hold on his daughter who was reaching for the ground upside-down, he managed to spot Wyatt's worried expression and he immediately lifted her back upright. "What's wrong, Wyatt?"

"I know we shouldn't've teased her in school but…" The boy dug his sneaker's toe in the dirt, twisted it slightly, and didn't continue.

"Wyatt?" All thoughts of their near-argument forgotten, Phoebe exchanged with Cole a look of concern before she knelt in front of Wyatt. She reached for the boy's hand and lightly swung it to and fro, "Wyatt, you can tell me. You can tell me anything."

"You'll get mad," Chris informed her.

"I might not be happy about it," she told the boys, "but I promise I'll do my best to understand." But Wyatt still looked reluctant so she said, "I can't help make it better if you don't tell me."

Wyatt looked from his aunt to his uncle who confirmed her promise. He squeezed her hand and, in a hushed tone, admitted, "I know they're here."

"Who's here?" she asked in confusion as she scanned the school grounds. "Is someone following you? Cole…" she worried as she looked up to him.

"He means the demons, Aunt Phoebe," Chris corrected as his uncle also began looking around them.

"Tell you what," Cole quickly offered before Phoebe could respond. "How about, instead of going home, we all go to the park and have some ice cream and talk about the demons?"

Wyatt seemed unsure, "Really? We can ask questions an' everything? You won't tell us to stop?"

"We'll answer any questions you have," he assured the child.

"Cole…."

Wyatt perked up for a moment before shaking his head, "Mom'll get mad if she finds out. She doesn't like us talking about demons."

"Don't worry about your mother," Cole sternly told him. "I'll explain everything to her."

"Cole…."

Chris excitedly tugged on Wyatt's sleeve, "I wanna double scoop of chocolate chunk!"

"I wanna 'nilla cone!"

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "How any child of mine could prefer vanilla to chocolate is beyond me. Are you sure the fairies didn't switch you with someone else's little ladybug?"

The little girl covered her mouth and giggled, "You're so silly, Momma."

"Among other things," Cole quipped before kissing his daughter and setting her down on the ground. He instructed the three youngsters, "Go to the car, we'll be right there." He watched them race off before he faced his wife who had the gall to look annoyed with him. "Just what the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Me?" she retorted. "What about you? You know damn well we decided not to tell the kids the truth about demons and now you want to rui--"

"You mean Piper and Paige decided," he accused as he interrupted.

"I happen to agree with them," she firmly declared.

He threw his hands up in the air, "Of course you do. I'm only your husband, why should you listen to me?"

"Don't start," she warned. "You agreed al--"

"Against my better judgment," he reminded her. "I never --"

"You agreed," she interrupted, "along with Leo that it was best for the kids. And look at them, they're healthy and safe and fine."

"Did Wyatt look fine?" he countered with exasperation. "Did you hear him, Phoebe? He knows. He knows the truth, the real truth."

Phoebe shook her head in denial. "He's a little boy who knows about magic and is imagining the rest. Demons aren't around us and they're not waiting to kill us."

But Cole wouldn't give in, not this time, "You and your sisters have fooled yourselves into believing this is Utopia and are setting up your children for a fall. What'll you do when they pay the price for your illusions?"

It took all she had not to slap him in front of the kids. "How dare you?" she seethed. "If not for the Avatars you wouldn't even be here, our daughter wouldn't even exist."

"I'm well aware of how I was brought back and I never let Leo forget it," he informed her through gritted teeth. "And I'm well aware of how our daughter was conceived that night but I guarantee you there wasn't a single Avatar involved."

Tired of this well-worn argument, Phoebe lowered her voice and wondered, "Why can't you drop it? Why can't you just be happy that our kids are growing up with normal childhoods? They'll grow up to use their powers for helpi--"

"They'll never be prepared for the return of the demons if you keep the truth from them," he exclaimed.

"Demons aren't returning," she hissed as a rush of anger swept through her, "and keep your voice down." She looked in the direction of the car where her daughter waved to her. She waved back with a smile before spinning on her heel to face her equally annoyed husband, "For two years now, ever since we helped the Avatars, we've been demon-free and Trish --"

"Needs to know the truth," he interrupted with growing anger. "I'm not saying our daughter needs to be thrown into a world of demons and evil. But we do need to explain things to her on her level of understanding."

Until now, she'd always been so emphatic about her point of view concerning the aftermath of their decision to help the Avatars. But now…Her shoulders slumped as she realized that they'd never have to argue about this again. She'd just lost and yet couldn't admit to him that it was because she was so afraid he was right. But he couldn't be right. Demons couldn't be coming back. She glanced at her daughter and wanted to hug the little girl and never let go. She practically cried to him, "She's barely even four, Cole!"

"And Wyatt's six!" he retorted. He'd seen the change in his wife's demeanor and noticed the tears forming in her eyes but wouldn't let them sway him. Instinctively, he understood why the Charmed Ones had made their choice but it was time for Phoebe, at least, to start facing the facts. In a calmer tone, he added, "Wyatt remembers the demons. He remembers the attacks we used to have nearly every day. So does Chris for that matter. And you know how powerful Wyatt is, Phoebe. You have to admit the truth that Wyatt can sense the evil. And you have to conv--"

"Wyatt's not evil," she gasped. "How can you even say such a thing?"

He tried to remain patient at her misunderstanding, "I didn't say he was, just that he can sense it. Why do you think he teases Trish?"

"Because that's what six-year-old little boys do to little girls who are practically their little sisters!" Phoebe didn't want to hear any more and desperately clung to her initial belief. Cole was wrong. Demons weren't coming back and she and her sisters had made the right decision to keep the past from their kids. The kids wouldn't grow up looking over their shoulders wondering when the next attack would happen. "Wyatt's only telling stories to spook her," she decided.

"He's warning her!"

"Of what? Demons no longer exist."

He was nearly speechless and had to stare at her for a moment. She seemed completely serious. "Now you're scaring me if you actually believe that crap you feed the kids…"

"So help me God, Cole, if you don't sto--"

Cole grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly, "Demons weren't vanquished. They were trapped. And they will escape. And then you'd better pray to your god that our children are prepared to fight or we will lose them and our future." She seemed stunned and slightly dizzy and he immediately pulled her into a hug and apologized. "I know this scares you and that you don't want to hear this. But I need you to believe, Phoebe. I need you to believe that evil still exists in the Underworld and is working on breaking free. I need you to believe so that we can prepare the next generation before it's too late."

"You're shaking," Phoebe whispered as she gathered strength from his embrace.

"Because I'm terrified," he admitted. "I've lived for over one hundred and twenty years but none of them hold a candle to the past four that I've spent with you."

"Hey, what about the year-and-a-half we spent together when we first met?" she teased in mock anger as she tried to push herself free.

But he only wrapped his arms more tightly around her, "I'm serious, Phoebe. The past four years have brought me a happiness I never imagined possible but they can all disappear with the blink of an eye. And I don't know where I'd be if I lost you or Trish, hell even Paige."

Pressed against his chest, she swore to him in a muffled tone, "You're not losing me or anyone in your family, Cole, especially not Paige who'd make it her mission as a Whitelighter to haunt you." When she felt his body relax slightly, she looked up at him and chastised, "Besides, you're the one who kept pushing her buttons after Kyle's blunder with the FBI so is it any wonder she tried to vanquish you again?"

"When I find that potion…" he growled.

"She'll only go back in time to get some more of your flesh and make more," Phoebe grinned, relieved the tense moment had passed.

"You didn't even try to stop her," he sniffed indignantly.

She shrugged, "Guess Trish and I would've just had to visit you in the Wasteland."

"Cute…" he quipped with a sarcastic smile.

"I know I am," she grinned with amusement. "Now let's go home so we can --"

"We're going to the park for ice cream," he reminded her, fully prepared to argue all over again.

She slipped out from his arms and sighed tiredly, "Can't you let it go this time?"

He shook his head and adamantly stated, "It's past time that we told them the truth. But I'm willing to compromise. You can call Piper and Paige and ask them to join us."

"How's that a compromise?" she grumbled. She knew as well as he did that her sisters would only make the conversation with the kids worse. They'd never let him get a word in edgewise and would only bring up Belthazor which would only confuse the kids. No, she was better off talking to the kids alone with Cole first and dealing with the fallout from her sisters later. But she still tried one last time, "They're only children, Cole, they're too young."

"And by the time I was Trish's age, I'd already had over ten kills to my name," he countered.

She glared at him, "And that's supposed to make me change my mind?"

Kicking himself for bringing up that part of his past, he switched tactics, "Do you want these children to grow up as you and your sisters did without anyone around to guide them?"

"We had Grams and ou--"

"I'm talking about the magic, the powers," he snapped. "Don't you remember how lost you felt? Don't you remember how hard it was learning everything on the fly and finding out the important details too late? How many innocents or siblings do you want our children to lose before they learn to --"

"Enough!" she requested in defeat. Even now, Prue's loss was a pain she felt nearly every day. "You've made your point."

"Then we tell them the truth," he declared without sounding victorious. He understood why his wife fought so fiercely to protect the children's innocence. And at last she seemed to truly understand why he fought so fiercely to protect their freedom. In a softer tone, he explained, "We'll tell them there are demons out there but that the demons are trapped right now. And we'll show them how they can protect themselves and each other. We'll teach them about magic, the good and the bad. We'll teach them about good demons and bad demons and good witches and bad witches. And we'll trust them to make their own mistakes as they learn to be the best possible witches this world has ever seen."

Unable to look him in the eye, all she managed to do was sadly complain, "You make the Charmed Ones…me seem obsolete."

Cole quickly hugged her again and bent to murmur in her ear, "Stubborn, pig-headed, selfish, and so beautiful you still take my breath away but never obsolete because I will want you just as you are for all eternity."

Knowing they were still in public she tried to pull away, "I hate you when you get romantic after you've gone all logical on me to prove your point…"

But he wouldn't let go and kissed her passionately before stating, "And that's why you love me."

"For all eternity, Mr. Turner," Phoebe promised. She gazed into his eyes and acknowledged the desire she saw with an unconscious lick of her lips. "We'd better go before we…we'd just better go…" She leaned into him as he silently wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "We'll finish this later," she sighed.

"Damn right we will," he grumbled, wishing he could simply shimmer her to their bed right now.

She happily sighed again and, as they headed toward the kids, she said, "You're wrong, though."

"Of course I am," he muttered. "Why should that ever change?"

She bumped him lightly with her hip and grinned, "This is a utopia."

He stopped walking and seriously told her, "I know you've had a long day but this discussion about an illusion is long pas--"

"Is our daughter an illusion?" Phoebe interrupted as she pointed to the giggling little girl. She then tugged on his hand and pressed it to the slightly rounded belly hidden by her outfit, "Is Junior here an illusion?"

He glared at her even as, beneath her hand, his fingertips slightly rubbed her blouse, "Your point?"

"You're the one who told me four years ago that I could have my happily-ever-after even without the Avatars' Utopia," she replied with exasperation as she dropped his hand and flicked it away. "And doesn't having a loving wife with her own career, a house with a picket fence two blocks away from your in-laws, an extremely well-paying job, a family nightclub slash restaurant, one-point-two kids, and a hamster, and not necessarily in that order, qualify as happily-ever-after?"

Still unsure of her point, he reluctantly answered, "Of course."

"So, then," she tiptoed to peck him on the lips, "don't we have utopia right here?"

"I thought you said I was wrong," Cole smirked, pulling her up for a deeper kiss.

"Oh shut up…" she muttered as she shoved him back and began walking ahead.

"I love you when you go all hormonal on me," he grinned as he admired the way her hips swayed as he watched her from behind.

"I heard that," she called out in annoyance without turning around.

"I love you period," he clarified as he followed. From her headshake, he knew she'd heard and was smiling. He then watched his daughter launch herself at her mother. "Phoebe…" She'd already lifted her daughter up and, when she turned her head and smiled inquisitively at him, he told her, "Maybe there is a utopia after all."

Phoebe nuzzled noses with her daughter before she set Trish down and waited patiently for her husband to catch up. When he did, she gazed into his eyes and grinned, "Silly demon, when will you learn to listen to your wife?"

Cole smiled at her bringing up this particular favorite banter of theirs. "Foolish witch," he responded as he placed his hands on her waist and tugged her closer, "when will you learn to listen to your husband?"

"That's what eternity's for," both replied simultaneously before their lips met in perfect harmony.

_**The End**_


End file.
